Earth’s rotation

Earth rotates eastward, a counterclockwise motion when viewed from above the North Pole. This rotation occurs around an axis that is tilted approximately 23.44° relative to its orbital plane. This tilt is thought to be the result of a massive collision early in Earth's history with a Mars-sized celestial body named Theia.1

The Earth's rotation influences global phenomena like wind patterns and ocean currents through the Coriolis effect. This effect causes apparent deflections in moving objects, to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. If Earth were to stop rotating, it would result in catastrophic changes to climate, geography, and ecosystems, and could eventually lead to the stripping away of the atmosphere due to the loss of its protective magnetic field. The direction of Earth's rotation is unlikely to change without an immense external force, such as a collision with a celestial body of significant size.23