and for that matter do all the planets spin? i would think that it might have something to do with gravitational pull, but don't understand if so
2006-12-01 06:11:53 · 23 answers · asked by mel2430 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
the moon.
How does the earth spin?
If you look around at planets, stars, and galaxies in the universe you will see that EVERYTHING spins! This is because planets like Earth (and stars and galaxies) formed from a large cloud of gas and dust. As gravity pulled the cloud together, any little bit of spin gets multiplied. This is known to scientists as the Conservation of Angular Momentum. You can try this out yourself. Find a chair that spins easily and sit on it. Start out by spinning with your arms outstretched, then pull them in to your body. Did you notice that the chair started to spin faster when you pulled your arms in? The same thing happens as the planet forms — as its gas, dust, and rocks fall together the planet spins up faster and faster. Later other things can affect the spin. Earth and the moon pull on each other, affecting both their spins and the orbit of the moon. It's quite a dance!
quote source:
http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4841
2006-12-01 06:20:02 · answer #1 · answered by φζα 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
yes, all planets spin. Even stars, galaxy...
There is no force that causes the planets to rotate. Most of the rotation comes about from the conservation of angular momentum. Angular momentum is given by L=m*w*r2 where m is the mass, w is the angular velocity in radians per second, and r is the radius of the circular motion. Due to conservation of angular momentum, if the radius of the orbit decreases, then its angular velocity must increase (as the mass is constant).
All planetary and stellar systems are born from the collapse of dense interstellar clouds. The clouds may originally be very large (even thousands of light years across). Consider a portion of the cloud the collapses from a size of a light year or so to the size of the solar system. That is a huge change in the size of the system. So, the very slight rotation that the cloud has in the beginning is increased dramatically when the collapse takes place. In fact, this is one of the barriers in star formation: there is excess angular momentum and there has to be a way of losing angular momentum before you can form a star.
Anyway, the bottom line is that stars like the Sun spin from the original angular momentum that was there in the solar nebula from which it formed. Not only that, all orbital motion of the planets (including the spin) is due to this orginal angular momentum.
2006-12-01 14:17:07 · answer #2 · answered by 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You're RIGHT! It is the gravitational pull from the sun that makes the planets spin. It also relies on the tilt of the axis.
2006-12-01 15:18:35 · answer #3 · answered by estherlkimmelman 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since the solar system is spinning the planets spin as well. It's like a skater who spins faster when she pulls her arms in. As the planets formed the material that condenced into the planets had an initial spin which was imparted to the planet.
Actually gravety tends to slow the spin of the planets through tidal effects.
2006-12-01 14:28:11 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The gravitational pull of the sun. Not all planets are solid and the Gas giants spin at different rates. Some do not spin the moon does not.
2006-12-01 14:15:43 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Large impacts during the accrecionary epoch play a major role in planetary spin. Gravity plays a major role is the slowing of planetary spin as far as the earth is concerned. Eventually the moon will slow the Earth's spin to one rotation / lunar orbit.
2006-12-01 14:50:45 · answer #6 · answered by albion53151 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In the early years of Earth (4 billions years ago) scientists believe the Earth was hit by a glancing blow from another planet sized asteroid that started the spin and created the moon.
2006-12-01 14:14:09 · answer #7 · answered by Curt 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Angular momentum, it is conserved so if any medium acting on an object causes it to spin, that rotation will continue.
Like when you see clips of astronauts mucking about in the shuttle by spinning and throwing things around - if they didnt catch them the pens/food/turd would just continue to spin.
It's either that or invisible space monkeys..
2006-12-01 14:50:25 · answer #8 · answered by Im a killer 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Newtons first law. It is spinning ever since 5 Billion years! How did the spin start? No one can tell. May be when it formed it had that momentum and nothing can stop it from spinning!
2006-12-01 14:16:06 · answer #9 · answered by openpsychy 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
of course it is due to gravitational pull btw the sun and the earth. Sun holds together all the heavenly bodies that revolve around it.
2006-12-02 14:00:12 · answer #10 · answered by candy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋