Planets

Unlike Earth and most other planets, Venus rotates clockwise. Its extremely slow rotation means one Venusian day (243 Earth days) is longer than its orbital period around the Sun (225 Earth days).

Unlike the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are primarily composed of "ices" — water, ammonia, and methane — in their interiors, rather than just hydrogen and helium. These icy materials are compressed into a super-dense fluid state beneath their frigid, turbulent atmospheres.

This colossal storm, larger than Earth and raging for at least 350 years, has been observed to be steadily shrinking over the past few decades. Scientists are still studying why this iconic planetary feature is diminishing in size, possibly due to changes in Jupiter's atmosphere.

Venus rotates clockwise, opposite to most planets, and its day is longer than its year. It takes 243 Earth days to complete one rotation, but only 225 Earth days to orbit the sun, making for a truly unique celestial rhythm and an extremely long day.

Located about 40 light-years away, 55 Cancri e is an exoplanet thought to have a significant portion of its mass as diamond due to its carbon-rich composition and extreme pressures and temperatures. Its surface is likely covered in graphite and diamond.

Due to the way Martian dust scatters light, the blue light penetrates the atmosphere more efficiently than other colors. This creates a striking blue hue around the setting sun, a stark contrast to Earth's familiar red sunsets.

Scientists theorize that lightning storms convert methane into soot, which then hardens into graphite and eventually diamonds as it falls through the planets' dense atmospheres. These diamonds could be massive, up to a centimeter in diameter, creating truly sparkling storms.

Scientists believe that under the extreme pressures and temperatures deep within these ice giants, methane breaks down, and carbon atoms are compressed into solid diamonds that then "rain" down through the planets' mantles.

Venus rotates incredibly slowly, taking about 243 Earth days to complete one rotation on its axis. However, it only takes about 225 Earth days to orbit the Sun, making its sidereal day longer than its orbital period.