Why does the only planet which rotates clockwise?

Answer 1

Because you're looking at it from above the north pole. If you looked at it from above the south pole, you'd say it was spinning clockwise. The Earth spins the way it does (whatever you want to call it) because of conservation of angular momentum. The net spin of the protoplanetary disk that condensed to form the Earth (and all the other satellites of the Sun) was in that direction, so the Earth spins that direction as well.

Answer 2

It depends on your point of view. Actually, most planets revolve counterclockwise when viewed from their north pole side, which is the conventional way. If you look at them from their south poles, then they revolve clockwise.

Answer 3

Both Venus and Uranus have a retrograde axial spin, they rotate clockwise when viewed from above their north pole. This most likely came about through huge collisions during the solar system's and the planets' formation.

Another viewpoint: I agree about Uranus, but I think Venus is a different case.

I think the axial tilt of Venus is more to do with how you define the north pole of a planet. Some sources give the tilt at about 177 degrees, but others give

just 3 degrees as the angle of tilt (177+3= 180 of course).

Because there can be confusion over definition of north poles for planets like Venus and Uranus, I like to use the EARTH'S north pole as a reference point.

So, I say "retrograde" spin means clockwise when viewed from a point high

above the Earth's north pole. (It's a bit pedantic, of course, but I like it.)

Answer 4

It doesn't necessarily. That's only true if you happen to be observing it from a point

over the north pole. Meanwhile, your astronomer partner, viewing from his point in

space over the earth's south pole, reports that the earth is spinning in the clockwise

direction. Neither of you is in a more 'natural' location from which to conduct your observations.

Once again, there is no such thing as 'motion' or 'absolute motion'. Only motion with respect

to something else.

Answer 5

ALL of the planets orbit the Sun in a counter-clockwise direction. Our best explanation for this is that the primordial planetary nebula that spawned our Sun and solar system was itself spinning CCW.

We do not yet know the direction of orbit of other solar systems, but we expect them to be more-or-less evenly divided between counter-clockwise and clockwise rotations.

Answer 6

Associated question: Why does the earth not spin clockwise on its access :Looking down from the north pole?

Answer 7

Planets don't revolve around the Earth; they revolve around the Sun. Now, depending on the position from which you look, you will either see planets rotating clockwise, or counterclockwise.

Answer 8

All planets in our solar system orbit the sun in the same direction.

Answer 9

It doesn't!