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What idea is supported by the fact that the sun and planets rotate in the same direction on the same plane?
Wiki User
∙ 8y ago
It's a demonstration of their angular momentum vectors being aligned in almost the same direction.
Laplace added up all the vectors for the planets (the angular momentum vector is directed along the axis of rotation) and defined an invariable plane for the solar system, which is a plane that stays the same all the time.
Total angular momentum is conserved so this plane will never change, even though momentum might be exchanged between the planets as their orbits change slightly.
Wiki User
∙ 8y ago
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How many planets rotate in the opposite direction of the others?
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.
What direction do the planets rotate?
Most of the planets in our solar system rotate on their axis from west to east; i.e., counter-clockwise as seen by an observer looking down from high above the Earth's north pole. Hence an observer near the equator of the earth, for example, would see the sun rise in the east, and later set in the west. This is the same direction in which they orbit the sun. The exceptions are Venus which rotates the opposite direction, and Uranus which rotates almost "on its side" (axis tilt of about 90 degrees).
Direction planets rotate?
In our solar system, most planets rotate counter-clockwise as seen looking down on their north poles (north poles as defined by the International Astronomical Union). They all orbit the Sun in this same direction. On Earth this is noticeable in the direction the Sun moves through the daytime sky. As the Earth rotates on its axis, the Sun seems to rise in the east and set in the west. Venus is a notable exception. It rotates in the opposite, clockwise, direction. Uranus is titled "sideways", with its axis almost in line with its orbital plane. However it does rotate in the same direction as Venus, just about.
Does Neptune rotate horizontally?
No, Neptune axis of rotation, like that of Earth is basically at right angles to the plane of the ecliptic (the plane in which the planets rotate round the sun). It is Uranus that has a unique configuration among the planets because its axis of rotation is tilted sideways, nearly into the plane the ecliptic, (i.e. its north and south poles lie where most other planets have their equators).
What are 3 distinctive characteristics of orbit of planet and moon in the solar system?
1). They orbit in the same around the sun, and as the sun. 2). Orbits of planets and their larger moons are in just about the same plane. 3). Almost all planets and moons rotate on their axes in the same direction as the planets orbit the sun.
What direction do the planets revolve around the sun?
From the perspective of looking downward at the plane of the ecliptic where North is up, the planets revolve counterclockwise.
Why does Venus rotate clockwise while other planets rotate anticlockwise?
Scientists think that a collision with another proto-planet occurred shortly after the planet Venus formed. The collision stopped its counterclockwise spin and left it with a very slow rotation in the clockwise direction (as seen from the north, i.e. above the ecliptic plane.All of the other major planets still spin in their original direction. However, the planet Uranus evidently had a similar incident, one that tipped it over onto its side by more than 90° relative to its orbital plane. It now appears to "roll" rather than rotate, and seen from above the spin appears slightly clockwise.
Is the orbits of the planets lie in nearly the same plane and they all revolve around the sun in the same direction a fact or inference?
Inference.
Which planet rotates in the opposite direction from most other planets and moons?
Venus has a very slow clockwise spin as seen from above the plane of the solar system. Six of the other major planets (including Earth) spin counter-clockwise. Uranus apparently had a similar counter-clockwise spin but now appears to rotate clockwise, because it has been "tipped over" more than 90 degrees from the plane of its orbit (likely by some massive ancient collision).
Does the moon rotate in the same direction as earth?
Earth and Neptune both spin anti-clockwise when viewed from above the Solar System. However, Uranus appears to spin clockwise, because its axis is tipped over by more than 90 degrees (98, in fact.) This is probably because a large object, perhaps a planet the size of Earth, knocked into it early in its history and tipped it over in its orbit.
Which planet orbits the sun clockwise?
Venus and Uranus rotate "clockwise" as seen from above the ecliptic plane. However, Venus's rotation was actually stopped and reversed, probably by an impact, while Uranus was merely knocked over onto its side, and it continues to spin in the same direction it did when it was formed.
Which planets rotate counter clockwise?
Most planets spin counter-clockwise in our solar system, the same direction as they orbit (as seen looking down from above the Earth's north pole); the exceptions are Venus which spins clockwise (i.e., retrograde or "upside down"), and Uranus which rotates pretty much on its side (about 98 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic).
