why does Venus have a Super-Rotating Atmosphere?
Although Venus itself rotates very slowly (has a rotational period of 243 days), its equatorial clouds have a rotation period of 4 days (equivalent to wind speeds of 100m/s). Consequently the cloud tops are rotating faster than the surface of the planet, in the opposite direction to the sun. Almost, all of the sun’s solar energy is absorbed in the clouds in a greenhouse-like effect due to the heavy concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. This energy provides the main driving force for the atmosphere’s super-rotation.
