Which inner planet rotates in the opposite direction to all of the other planets?

Answer 1

Relative to the orbital plane, only two major planets appear to rotate (spin) in a clockwise direction, Venus and Uranus. Of these two, only Venus has lost its what is assumed to be its original counter-clockwise rotation. Uranus only appears to rotate clockwise, as observed from above the orbital plane, because its North Pole was somehow knocked over by 98° to technically become its South Pole.

The "third planet" that met this criteria (Pluto) is now classified a dwarf planet. Among the small planets past Neptune, there is no consistent classification of rotation.

Answer 2

This is Venus, which rotates slowly East to West with a day length of 243 Earth days. The predominant theory is that collision with another planetoid occurred early in the formation of the solar system, stopping Venus's spin and giving it a slow rotation in the opposite direction.

Uranus is also said to have retrograde motion, but it still rotates as it originally did, except that it is on its side. In its case, the theory also postulates that a large body collided with the planet and knocked it over past 90 degrees, without changing the direction of rotation.

Answer 3

None of the major planets do. Some small asteroids have been perturbed into retrograde orbits by larger bodies, and comets and other objects far from the Sun have any number of orbital planes. Other factors have elongated these planetary orbits into ellipses.

Since it is assumed that planets accreted from a disk of material around the Sun, it follows that they would all have the same general direction of motion, which is counter-clockwise as seen from above the ecliptic plane (from above the arbitrary north pole of the Sun).

Having planets orbiting in opposing directions would result in far more complex orbital mechanics than already exist.

Answer 4

All of the planets orbit the sun in the same direction. The axial rotation of each planet, the spin can vary though. Most spin in an anti-clockwise direction, but Venus and Uranus spin in a clockwise direction when viewed from above.

Answer 5

The only major planet is Venus, although Uranuscan be said to also rotate in the opposite direction (clockwise, east-to-west). Both planets were likely influenced by substantial collisions early in the formation of the solar system.

Venus's original west-to-east rotation was completely stopped, and it now turns very, very slowly in the opposite direction. Uranus was knocked onto its side, so that its original north pole now points more than 90 degrees to the side. This means that seen from above the ecliptic plane it appears to be the south pole, giving Uranus a technically retrograde rotation.

Answer 6

They're Venus, Pluto, and Uranus.

Answer 7

Venus.