# ... and as Venus sets in the west ... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 18, 2018, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-as-venus-sets-in-the-west/818122 "2018-07-18T04:08:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-as-venus-sets-in-the-west/818122/21 "2018-07-18T21:36:21Z")
Note the constellations that make up the astrological signs (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, etc.) are the ones through which the ecliptic passes - that is, the ones which the sun, moon, and planets appear to pass through (of course astrology is BS but I think it’s an interesting point nonetheless.) > **[Zodiac](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac)** > > The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north and south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, which is the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The orbital paths of the Moon and major planets are within the belt of the zodiac. > In Western astrology, and formerly astronomy, the zodiac is divided into the following twelve signs: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, ... ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-as-venus-sets-in-the-west/818122/22 "2018-07-18T21:53:58Z")
> [@zombywoof](#): > > Note the constellations that make up the astrological signs (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, etc.) are the ones through which the ecliptic passes - that is, the ones which the sun, moon, and planets appear to pass through (of course astrology is BS but I think it’s an interesting point nonetheless.) > > [Zodiac - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac) The twelve zodiac constellations plus Ophuichus … people born when Jupiter is in Ophuichus and in retrograde motion are all witches … ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-as-venus-sets-in-the-west/818122/23 "2018-07-19T06:10:44Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Venus rotates around it’s axis backwards … but objects will still rise in the east and set in the west from a Vensian’s perspective, just by how we define north … but from every other planet’s perspective, the objects would seem to rise in the west and set in the east there … > > Unanus’ axis is almost aligned with the ecliptic … crazy things happen there … I can’t (or won’t) speak from a Venusian’s perspective, but the angular momentum of the Solar System divides the sky into a northern and a southern side, so cardinal directions are defined. We say that a planet rotates backwards if it rotates towards the west instead of towards the east like Perfectly Normal Planets. Both Venus and Uranus rotate backwards, so, e.g., right now on Uranus, depending on exactly where you are, you have e.g. the Earth rising somewhere in the northwest and setting in the northeast. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-as-venus-sets-in-the-west/818122/24 "2018-07-19T13:38:06Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > I can’t (or won’t) speak from a Venusian’s perspective, but the angular momentum of the Solar System divides the sky into a northern and a southern side, so cardinal directions are defined. We say that a planet rotates backwards if it rotates towards the west instead of towards the east like Perfectly Normal Planets. Both Venus and Uranus rotate backwards, so, e.g., right now on Uranus, depending on exactly where you are, you have e.g. the Earth rising somewhere in the northwest and setting in the northeast. Awww … c’mon … you’ve got that Venusian accent down pat, pitch perfect … pleasssssse … If we take our right forepaw and curl our claws in the direction of rotation, then extend our dewclaw … our dewclaw points North … so using this definition our angular momentum vector also points North, as does the angular velocity vector … which is weird to say Earth’s “velocity” is pointing straight up from the top of the Sun, and this is more art than science, a neat lil’ trick of mathemagical slight of hand … [stares at furry paw] … _very_ slight of hand … Venus does rotate backwards compared to the Sun and 6 of the other 8 Perfectly Normal Planets … Uranus’ axis is roughly parallel to the ecliptic, such that once a Uranal year, at a pole, the Sun just sits straight up stationary in position and spins (hahahaha) … Pluto spins somewhere in between Venus’ completely retrograde spin and Uranus’ “flat” spin … and by Perfectly Normal Planets I assume you mean what Perfectly Normal People would call a planet … hang out with astronomers some time, you’ll see what I mean … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-as-venus-sets-in-the-west/818122.md?page=1)