This is Daily Random Facts, a short look at one surprising fact. Today, we compare how long Venus takes to spin once with how long it takes to orbit the Sun.

NASA says Venus takes about 243 Earth days to turn once on its axis. That turning is called a rotation. Venus takes about 225 Earth days to orbit the Sun. That journey around the Sun is its year. So on Venus, one rotation takes longer than one year. The comparison is between two different movements: Venus turning in place, and Venus traveling around the Sun. Both times are measured in Earth days, which makes the difference easy to see. Its rotation lasts about 18 Earth days more than its year. Think of the numbers side by side: 243 days to turn once, and 225 days to complete an orbit. On Venus, a year passes before a single full rotation is complete.