Venus could flip over from the impact of its own satellite

Despite its similar size to Earth, Venus is unique in many ways. It has a very dense and hot atmosphere that is unsuitable for life. And one of the most noticeable features of Venus is its direction of rotation.

Unlike other planets that spin counterclockwise, it does so clockwise, as if something once turned it upside down. Recently, scientists have suggested that once it did, Venus attracted and destroyed its own moon.

The lunar influence may have caused the tides that first slowed Venus’ rotation. The frequent tides and orbital interaction resulted in the moon coming dangerously close to Venus, and the planet’s strong gravity broke the moon into pieces.