Venus does a lot of things differently. On top of that reversed rotation, the planet also spins remarkably slowly: a day on Venus lasts longer than an entire Venusian year. That sounds like a mistake, but it is simply true.

The dense carbon dioxide atmosphere retains heat so effectively that the surface remains scorchingly hot — hotter than Mercury, which sits far closer to the sun. How that rotation came to be reversed is something scientists are not certain about. A massive collision is a popular theory, but there are others.

And then there is the pub quiz. This is a classic trick question, because the answer intuitively feels wrong. Jupiter and Mars draw the attention — one through its sheer size, the other through its familiar red colour. Venus tends to get overlooked, even though in terms of size and mass it is actually the most Earth-like planet in our solar system. Those who know that also know that “the quiet neighbouring planet” has a surprisingly large number of peculiarities to offer.