![which planet rotates clockwise which planet rotates clockwise](https://cdn.quizzclub.com/trivia/2017-02/uranus-rotates-clockwise-on-its-axis-what-other-planet-in-our-solar-system-also-does-this.jpg)
![which planet rotates clockwise which planet rotates clockwise](https://www.scienceabc.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/uzjbGST-768x356.jpg)
The jury is still out on this one, but impact seems entirely unlikely by now. Explanation: All the planets in the Solar System orbit the Sun in an anticlockwise direction as viewed from above Earth’s north pole. The reason behind their consistent behavior.
#Which planet rotates clockwise series
The big problem with the Uranus impact explanation is that if you actually try to numerically simulate the impact, you find it's almost impossible to have an impactor with just the right mass and velocity to tip the planet without completely destroying it.Īt this point it seems more likely that there were either a series of close gravitational perturbations or gradual tidal change. An interesting fact about the solar system is that all the planets, with one exception, rotate counterclockwise. That's not to say that giant impacts didn't occur - they certainly did! It's just that this mechanism was probably overused to explain solar system mysteries, and we're backpedaling a bit now.it seems to be a case of "when you have a hammer, suddenly everything looks like a nail." How did the surface of Miranda get such chaotic terrain? Giant impact.
![which planet rotates clockwise which planet rotates clockwise](https://www.scifacts.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/20110117_venus.jpg)
What caused Iapetus' two-toned surface? Giant Impact. Why does Venus rotate backwards? Giant impact. In other words, it spins in the same direction it always has, just upside down, so that looking at it from the other planets makes the spin look backward. Venus is initially rotating counterclockwise like the other planets and it still does. This caused a certain "catastrophic renaissance" mindset in the field. Venus rotates clockwise while Uranus rolls on its side as it orbits the Sun. Uranus was probably knocked off kilter by a protoplanet back when the planets were being formed.Ī decade or two ago this was assumed to be true, but lately most scientists in the field are pretty doubtful that Uranus' tilt was caused by a giant impact.Īfter thorough analysis of the Apollo samples, the Moon was found to have been formed after a giant impact with Earth.