2023.09.16 16:24
what is rotating in which direction?
For several years, I've been wondering: if I looked at the solar system from above (outside the plane of the planets' orbits), from the perspective of the North Pole, what would I see rotating in which direction? Earth around its own axis: clockwise or counterclockwise? Earth around the Sun: clockwise or counterclockwise? Moon around the Earth: clockwise or counterclockwise?
I conducted some observations and now I think I know.
When I'm on Earth in the Northern Hemisphere and observe the celestial bodies' movement across the sky, I see them moving to the left. This means that Earth (if viewed from the North Pole) rotates around its own axis counterclockwise.
When I observe at the same time each day where the Moon is in the sky, I notice it shifts progressively to the left day by day, quite rapidly (completing one orbit around Earth in a month). This indicates that the Moon around Earth (if viewed from the North Pole of Earth) also rotates counterclockwise.
When I observe at the same time each day where Orion's Belt is in the sky, I see it slowly, slowly shifting to the right day by day. This suggests that Earth around the Sun (if viewed from the North Pole of Earth) also rotates counterclockwise.
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