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What are Planets that appear to be spinning clockwise from their north pole called?
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Most planets rotate in the direction of their orbit, which is to say, if viewed from the NORTH pole, if they orbit counterclockwise, they rotate counterclockwise as if they were rolling around the sun on its surface. If they are rotating the opposite direction, it is called
RETROGRADE rotation. It is rare, but it does happen. Many scientist seem to believe this can only happen by some physical event such as a collision, or by the object in question being captured by the gravity of the primary as it wandered by.
(Uranus orbits lying on its side, with one pole toward the sun).
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
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What is the region of the sky where the moon and planets appear?
The Moon, Sun and planets all appear in a strip of sky called the ecliptic. It is a plane defined by the plane of the Earth's orbit and the Sun is always on the ecliptic, while the Moon and planets stay close to it.
The strip of the sky through which the sun the moon and the brightest planets appear to move in the course of a year is called what?
The ecliptic.
Explain what is meant by Venus retrograde rotation?
Oddly, Venus rotates from east to west, the opposite direction from most other planets and moons. This type of rotation is called retrograde rotation, from the Latin words for "moving backward".
The illusion that slower moving superior planets appear to reverse their direction of travel when the earth catches up and passes them is called what?
Retrograde
The clockwise spin of a planet or moon as seen from above the north pole of the planet?
Actually, in THIS solar system, most of the things that spin spin counter-clockwise. All of the planetary orbits are CCW; most of the moons orbit CCW. Out of eight planets, six spin CCW, and of the others, one is tipped sideways and the other hardly spins at all. We don't know about ALL of the various moons, but most of the moons we have examined spin CCW. Exceptions exist, but are rare. Why does everything spin CCW? Best guess is that the planetary nebula that formed the Sun and planets was itself rotating counter-clockwise. We expect that we will find that other solar systems will turn out to be split about 50-50.
What is unusual about Venus' rotation?
its rotation is opposite of all the other planets.
Why are the planets rotating continuously?
There is no friction in space to stop them so they keep on spinning under what is called conservation of angular momentum.
The slower moving superior-planets appear to reverse their direction of travel when what?
This is called the Retrograde
What is the region of the sky where the moon and planets appear?
The Moon, Sun and planets all appear in a strip of sky called the ecliptic. It is a plane defined by the plane of the Earth's orbit and the Sun is always on the ecliptic, while the Moon and planets stay close to it.
What is the word Greek wanderer?
The Greek word planetoi means wanderer. This is why the planets in our solar system are called planets - they appear to wander about the sky relative to the fixed stars.
Do inferior planets orbit the sun clockwise?
NO. They orbit counterclockwise (anticlockwise) when viewed from above the Earth's north pole, which is the usual convention. (Mercury and Venus are called the "inferior planets" because their orbits are between the Sun and the Earth.)
The strip of the sky through which the sun the moon and the brightest planets appear to move in the course of a year is called what?
The ecliptic.
What is a Jewish spinning top called?
A Jewish spinning top is called a "dredel".
Which way does the moon rotate and revolve?
As seen from a location high above the north pole, nearly everything in our solar system rotates counter-clockwise. All the planets orbit counter-clockwise (sometimes in ancient texts called "widdershins") and 6 of the 8 planets spin that way. The Moon orbits CCW, and rotates that way as well.
Explain what is meant by Venus retrograde rotation?
Oddly, Venus rotates from east to west, the opposite direction from most other planets and moons. This type of rotation is called retrograde rotation, from the Latin words for "moving backward".
What is the Greek word for 'wanderer'?
The Greek word planetoi means wanderer. This is why the planets in our solar system are called planets - they appear to wander about the sky relative to the fixed stars.
How did the planets start orbiting the sun?
There are three different theries of creation, but I can only remember two of them. 1> divine Creation- the theory that God created the planets and the life on them 2> The Big Bang Theory- the theory that all the matter in space hit together causing a big explosions which created the planets.
