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

💡 Need a hint?

This planet is almost a twin of Earth in terms of size and is known as the hottest planet in our solar system.

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The correct answer is B. Venus.

Venus rotates on its axis in a retrograde direction, meaning it spins the opposite way compared to most other planets. If you were standing on Venus, the Sun would rise in the west and set in the east. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn all rotate in the same direction as Earth.

📚 More background information

Venus is one of the most striking objects in our night sky, and yet the planet never stops surprising us. Consider this alone: a day on Venus (one complete rotation on its axis) lasts longer than a year on Venus (one full orbit around the Sun). That sounds contradictory, but it is a direct consequence of the planet’s extremely slow rotation speed. Add to that the reverse direction of rotation, and Venus behaves in quite an eccentric way compared to the rest of the solar system.

Peculiar, to say the least.

Its thick atmosphere of greenhouse gases does the rest: heat enters but can barely escape, making the surface hot enough to melt lead. In terms of temperature, Venus is by far the warmest planet, even though Mercury is closer to the Sun. That is, incidentally, a second classic trick question that regularly crops up in astronomy quizzes.

For a pub quiz, this is a textbook trap: many people automatically go for a more obscure planet, when in fact Earth’s near neighbour is the odd one out. Knowing that gives you an immediate edge when astronomy questions come up.