Earth rotates from west to east, which is called an eastward or prograde rotation. Seen from above the North Pole, this spin is counterclockwise; from above the South Pole, it appears clockwise.

Basic direction

  • The surface of Earth moves toward the east as the planet spins, so locations further west turn into sunlight first, making the Sun appear to rise in the east and set in the west.
  • This west‑to‑east rotation is why most weather systems and jet streams at mid‑latitudes also tend to move generally west to east.

How to visualize it

  • Imagine looking down at Earth from high above the North Pole: the planet would turn counterclockwise once every roughly 24 hours.
  • A common physics trick is to point the right thumb along Earth’s North Pole; the curl of the fingers shows the direction of rotation, matching the west‑to‑east spin.

Related sky effects

  • Because Earth spins eastward, the Sun, Moon, and stars appear to travel across the sky from east to west even though they are not actually orbiting us each day.
  • This same rotation, combined with Earth’s axial tilt, gives the cycle of day and night and helps shape seasonal differences in daylight length.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.