Almost all planets rotate counterclockwise in our Solar System when viewed from above the Sun’s North Pole, except Venus and Uranus. These planets rotate clockwise, a motion referred to as retrograde rotation. But why do planets rotate in this manner?
To understand why planets rotate in the same direction, we must first address why they rotate at all.
Why Does Everything in Space Rotate?
As we’ve mentioned in our previous articles, stars and planets form from giant clouds of gas and dust. The matter in these clouds is in constant motion, and the clouds rotate around the galaxy’s center. As a result of this movement and interaction with other clouds and stars, the cloud will rotate around its axis to some extent (the rotation speed of each specific cloud depends on many factors). Due to this rotation, the cloud has angular momentum, which, according to the laws of physics, cannot simply vanish but can only be transferred to another body.
As the interstellar cloud condenses, it breaks into smaller pieces, each compressing independently and carrying a portion of the original angular momentum. The…
