Why planets move ant-clockwise direction

[rick112]

Why majority of planets move in anti-clockwise direction around the sun??

 

[Drakkith]

Current solar system formation theories say that as the dust and gas cloud that the solar system formed from collapsed, it started to spin. Either due to already possessing spin, or aquiring it during the collapse. This spin became more and more pronounced as the cloud collapsed due to conservation of angular momentum. When the sun and planets formed, since the cloud was rotating in a counter-clockwise direction, everything that formed rotates that way.

 

[netheril96]

Anti-clockwise? That is not a way to describe the direction of revolution in a 3D space.

 

[cepheid]

Anti-clockwise? That is not a way to describe the direction of revolution in a 3D space.

When the observer is out of the plane of the solar system and looking at it face-on from the side of the sun's north pole, the direction of the planets' orbits is counter-clockwise.

Obviously an observer looking at the plane face on, but from the other side of the plane, would see the orbits as going clockwise.

 

[pmacias]

There are a few different factors that contribute to the majority of planets moving in an anti-clockwise direction around the sun, also known as counterclockwise or retrograde motion.

Firstly, the initial formation of our solar system likely played a role in the direction of planetary motion. According to the nebular hypothesis, our solar system formed from a rotating cloud of gas and dust. As this cloud collapsed, it began spinning faster due to conservation of angular momentum. This resulted in a disc-shaped formation with the majority of the material rotating in the same direction, which influenced the direction of planetary motion as they formed from this disc.

Another factor is the gravitational influence of the sun. The sun's immense mass and gravitational pull have a significant impact on the motion of the planets. As the planets orbit the sun, their motion is influenced by the sun's gravity, causing them to move in an anti-clockwise direction.

Additionally, collisions and interactions between planets can also affect their motion. For example, when two planets collide, they can transfer angular momentum to each other, resulting in changes in their orbital direction.

It is also important to note that not all planets in our solar system move in an anti-clockwise direction. Venus, for example, has a retrograde rotation, meaning it rotates in the opposite direction to its orbit around the sun. This is likely due to a large impact during its formation that caused it to spin in the opposite direction.

Overall, the direction of planetary motion around the sun is a result of various factors, including the initial formation of our solar system, the gravitational influence of the sun, and interactions between planets. While there may be exceptions, such as Venus, the majority of planets move in an anti-clockwise direction due to these factors.