Today I Learned Facts | We fact-check your TILs so you don't have to

On Venus, a single day lasts longer than an entire year because it takes 243 Earth days to complete one rotation on its axis but only 225 Earth days to orbit the Sun.

Disputed Planets Astronomy Space19 days ago

Venus rotates so slowly that one full spin takes 243 Earth days, which is indeed longer than its 225-day trip around the Sun. But because Venus spins backwards, the actual cycle from sunrise to sunrise takes just 117 Earth days. One Venusian year contains almost two entire solar days. More

The Solar Eclipse That Ended a 6-Year War on the Spot

Disputed Ancient History Astronomy War19 days ago

In 585 BCE, fighting between the Medes and Lydians ground to an immediate halt when midday turned into complete darkness. Both armies saw the solar eclipse as a direct order from above, dropped their weapons, and brokered peace through a royal marriage. The legend that Thales accurately predicted the exact day was added later by historians giving early science a victory lap. More