2007-01-23 00:28:03 · 7 answers · asked by keshavamurthy m c 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
because it is heavier on one side than the other
2007-01-23 00:35:34 · answer #1 · answered by jenjadekim 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
In three dimensional space tilted really has no meaning. For example the planets don't all neatly orbit the sun in a single plane and their orbits are elliptical not round. But these "concepts" are used to make explaining a very complex and still not completely understood system easier.
One of the leading theories on the creation of the moon can explain the rotation of the earth and how the axis or rotation was set. The theory is that in the very distant past a large proto-planet, about the size of Mars, was traveling through the galaxy and collided with the earth but this was not a direct impact, the effect of the off center impact was that this body imparted angular momentum to the planet causing the rotation of the earth setting the axis. Scientist are debating if the Earth already had some rotation before the impact but it certainly did acquire rotation from the impact. Some debris from the impact was ejected into space and eventually clustered to form the moon.
Interestingly the forces of interaction between the moon and the Earth has, over a very long time, slowed the rotation of the moon to exactly match the moons obit around the earth which is why we only see one face of the moon. The force between the moon and Earth are also pushing the moon further away, and altering the rotational velocity of the earth so the Earths day is getting longer, at a almost unperceptive rate.
2007-01-23 08:55:50 · answer #2 · answered by Brian K² 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Initially, the earth accreted from swirling dust clouds in the primordial solar system. Conservation of momentum within the primordial disk would have had Earth's rotational axis very close to perpendicular to its orbit around the Sun. Primary among the reasons why it is tilted is the collision of the Earth with a Mars-sized planetoid that resulted in the Moon.
2007-01-23 08:52:08 · answer #3 · answered by gebobs 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Why should the axis of the spin and the axis of the orbit be the same? When the Earth was forming out of the protosolar nebula, it was built up from lots of planetoids hitting from all directions. The axis of spin could have been wildly different from the axis of the orbit. The spin has been stabilized by the formation of the moon and by tides caused by the moon, over the billions of years.
2007-01-23 08:53:37 · answer #4 · answered by cosmo 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Why does a base ball or cricket ball spin the way it does after coming off of a bat? It's physics.The universe is not symetrical. Big bang, baby!
2007-01-23 08:38:04 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Over the past 4.5 billion years, it has simply moved out of the vertical through outside influences. Nothing out there is ever perfect right angles or circles.
2007-01-23 08:31:04 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Because if it wasn't tilted, the north and south poles would never see daylight.
2007-01-23 08:31:08 · answer #7 · answered by Pinolera 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋