Why do planets orbit the sun counterclockwise and not clockwise?

Question

This is the same for satellites and solar systems. Why do they just orbit in one direction. Also, why do they rotate on their axes in a certain direction?

In: Physics

Answer 1

That was the way the disk they formed from was spinning, and conservation of angular momentum means that everything will keep going in that direction unless something makes it go in another direction.

> This is the same for satellites and solar systems.

For artificial satellites, it’s because launching in the direction of rotation is easier and cheaper, because you’re adding the rotational velocity to your craft’s velocity rather than working against it.

For natural satellites it’s conservation of angular momentum again.