In which direction does the earth spin and why? At what angle is the earth's axis?
1 Answer
The Earth rotates anti-clockwise when looking downwards from above the North pole. The angle is currently 23.44 degrees.
Explanation:
Most of the bodies in the solar system rotate anti-clockwise when viewed looking down from the North. The planets also orbit is the same direction.
This is because the disc of material from which the solar system was formed was rotating counter-clockwise. The notable exception is Venus which is retrograde - rotates clockwise. Venus must have had an encounter with another body which flipped it over.
Earth's axis is inclined at an angle of 23.44 degrees from the plane of the ecliptic - the plane which the Earth orbits the Sun. This angle oscillates between 22.1 and 24.5 degrees over a period of 41,000 years. the angle is currently decreasing.
