Why this is so weird
That reverses the pattern we are used to on Earth: one full spin of Venus lasts longer than its entire year. NASA also notes an important distinction: sunrise to sunset on Venus takes about 117 Earth days because the planet rotates slowly and in the opposite direction to most planets.
What is actually happening?
Calling this simply ‘a day longer than a year’ can be misleading because astronomers use more than one definition of a day. The 243-day figure is Venus’s rotation period (its sidereal day); its solar day — roughly noon to noon — is about 117 Earth days. The striking comparison is therefore precise when stated as one rotation versus one orbit.