Space
Why Are Venus And Uranus Spinning In The Wrong Direction?
Meera V Nair
First Posted: Nov 02, 2016 04:36 AM EDT
There exists a lot of mysteries in the universe that requires the attention of astronomers. And there lies an important mystery in our own solar system that has been unexplained since decades - why are Venus and Uranus spinning in different directions compared to other planets around the Sun?
Venus spins on its axis from East to West whereas Uranus is tilted far off and spins virtually on its side. Every planet including our Earth spins from West to East. Recently, scientists have figured out the reason behind the opposite spinning of both Venus and Uranus. Our all planets should be spinning in an equal way.
Our solar system was created by the breakage and rotation of a cloud of gasses. According to Science Alert, "It is said that the spin direction of most of the planets (such as Earth), has been carried over from the ancient rotation." But both Uranus and Venus have been an exception. They follow the retrograde rotation, i.e. spinning counter to the rotation of the Sun.
One of the most popular hypotheses is that Venus and Uranus originally rotated counter-clockwise, just like Earth and other planets do. As per a report published in Sci-techuniverse, both Venus and Uranus were struck at some point by huge objects (may be other planets) that forced them to spin in different directions.
In the past few years, astronomers have looked for explanations which examined both the planets independently. In 2011, certain prompts suggested that a few smaller collisions knocked down Uranus to spin at an angle of 98 degrees. This also tends to explain why the moons of these planets rotate at the same angle. Another explanation was put forth by a group of astronomers in 2009 which stated that Uranus once had a large moon, the gravitational pull of which caused the planet to fall on its side.
Venus used to rotate counter-clockwise before slowing down to almost being static. This can be an explanation for the planet's slow rotation speed today. Venus consumes 243 days to rotate fully but only 225 Earth days to orbit the Sun. It can happen due to the strong gravitational pull of the Sun on the thick atmosphere of Venus. The idea of 'Tidal Torques' is one of the most popular explanations for Venus's retrograde rotation along with planetary collision.
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First Posted: Nov 02, 2016 04:36 AM EDT
There exists a lot of mysteries in the universe that requires the attention of astronomers. And there lies an important mystery in our own solar system that has been unexplained since decades - why are Venus and Uranus spinning in different directions compared to other planets around the Sun?
Venus spins on its axis from East to West whereas Uranus is tilted far off and spins virtually on its side. Every planet including our Earth spins from West to East. Recently, scientists have figured out the reason behind the opposite spinning of both Venus and Uranus. Our all planets should be spinning in an equal way.
Our solar system was created by the breakage and rotation of a cloud of gasses. According to Science Alert, "It is said that the spin direction of most of the planets (such as Earth), has been carried over from the ancient rotation." But both Uranus and Venus have been an exception. They follow the retrograde rotation, i.e. spinning counter to the rotation of the Sun.
One of the most popular hypotheses is that Venus and Uranus originally rotated counter-clockwise, just like Earth and other planets do. As per a report published in Sci-techuniverse, both Venus and Uranus were struck at some point by huge objects (may be other planets) that forced them to spin in different directions.
In the past few years, astronomers have looked for explanations which examined both the planets independently. In 2011, certain prompts suggested that a few smaller collisions knocked down Uranus to spin at an angle of 98 degrees. This also tends to explain why the moons of these planets rotate at the same angle. Another explanation was put forth by a group of astronomers in 2009 which stated that Uranus once had a large moon, the gravitational pull of which caused the planet to fall on its side.
Venus used to rotate counter-clockwise before slowing down to almost being static. This can be an explanation for the planet's slow rotation speed today. Venus consumes 243 days to rotate fully but only 225 Earth days to orbit the Sun. It can happen due to the strong gravitational pull of the Sun on the thick atmosphere of Venus. The idea of 'Tidal Torques' is one of the most popular explanations for Venus's retrograde rotation along with planetary collision.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone