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Re: Planet rotation



Regarding Chuck Britton's question:

If indeed, as it appears, Venus has retrograde rotation, won't the
sun's tidal effect be to STOP its rotation (relative to the 'fixed'
stars) and then move it toward the non-retrogade rotation that will
match its year?

That is the direction of the change the Sun's tidal effect would have on
the rotation of Venus, but *I think* that there is not enough time
available for the synchronization to occur since long before this time
the Sun is expected to eat Venus when it swells out as a red giant in
about 5 billion years (as I recall).

David Bowman
dbowman@georgetowncollege.edu