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Venus Winds Surpass 100 Meters/Second, Study Reveals

11/28/2025

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Summary

Story summary

A study by Lai et al. finds Venus's winds exceed 100 meters per second due to atmospheric superrotation, with the atmosphere rotating about 60 times faster than the surface.
Diurnal thermal tides driven by sunlight heating significantly contribute to the rapid winds.
The findings rely on data from the European Space Agency's Venus Express and Japan's Akatsuki satellites.
Understanding Venus's winds could inform meteorology on other slowly rotating planets.

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Story summary

A study by Lai et al. finds Venus's winds exceed 100 meters per second due to atmospheric superrotation, with the atmosphere rotating about 60 times faster than the surface.
Diurnal thermal tides driven by sunlight heating significantly contribute to the rapid winds.
The findings rely on data from the European Space Agency's Venus Express and Japan's Akatsuki satellites.
Understanding Venus's winds could inform meteorology on other slowly rotating planets.