• A. Mars
  • B. Venus
  • C. Jupiter
  • D. Saturn

This planet is known as the hottest in our solar system and is often called the “evening star” or “morning star”. :::

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The correct answer is B. Venus rotates retrograde, meaning it spins in the opposite direction on its axis. On this planet, you would see the sun rise in the west and set in the east.

📚 More background information

Venus is a remarkable planet for several reasons. Its rotation is not only reversed, but also extremely slow: one day on Venus lasts longer than an entire year on the planet. The spin on its own axis takes more time than the journey around the sun.

The thick atmosphere of Venus consists largely of carbon dioxide and traps heat, causing the surface temperature to be high enough to melt lead. This makes Venus the hottest planet in our solar system, even hotter than Mercury, which is much closer to the sun.

As seen from Earth, Venus is the brightest object in the sky after the sun and the moon. Because the planet is often visible just before sunrise or shortly after sunset, Venus earned the nicknames “morning star” and “evening star” — even though it is of course not a star at all, but a planet. This kind of astronomical trivia comes up regularly in a pub quiz, so it’s well worth remembering.