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How fast do winds blow at the cloud tops of Venus?
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Venus
Venus photographed in ultraviolet light by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter (Pioneer 12) spacecraft, February 26, 1979. Although Venus's cloud cover is nearly featureless in visible light, ultraviolet imaging reveals distinctive structure and pattern, including global-scale V-shaped bands that open toward the west (left). Added color in the image emulates Venus's yellow-white appearance to the eye.
At the cloud tops of Venus, winds blow from east to west at a velocity of approximately 100 metres per second, which is equivalent to 360 km (220 miles) per hour.1
This phenomenon is part of a unique atmospheric circulation pattern known as "superrotation," where the atmosphere circles the planet completely in about four days, despite the planet's very slow rotation on its axis.12