'Rotate objects around circle using CSS?

I'm attempting to have three objects rotating around a circle. So far I've been able to get one object to spin around the circle. I am unable to get more than one without messing up the code. Could anyone advise on the best way to accomplish this? Here is part of the code and a Fiddle. Thanks!

Here is the Demo

.outCircle {
  width: 200px;
  height: 200px;
  background-color: lightblue;
  left: 270px;
  position: absolute;
  top: 50px;
  -moz-border-radius: 100px;
  -webkit-border-radius: 100px;
  border-radius: 100px;
}
.rotate {
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
  -webkit-animation: circle 10s infinite linear;
}
.counterrotate {
  width: 50px;
  height: 50px;
  -webkit-animation: ccircle 10s infinite linear;
}
.inner {
  width: 100px;
  height: 100px;
  background: red;
  -moz-border-radius: 50px;
  -webkit-border-radius: 50px;
  border-radius: 100px;
  position: absolute;
  left: 0px;
  top: 0px;
  background-color: red;
  display: block;
}
@-webkit-keyframes circle {
  from {
    -webkit-transform: rotateZ(0deg)
  }
  to {
    -webkit-transform: rotateZ(360deg)
  }
}
@-webkit-keyframes ccircle {
  from {
    -webkit-transform: rotateZ(360deg)
  }
  to {
    -webkit-transform: rotateZ(0deg)
  }
}

<div class="outCircle">
  <div class="rotate">
    <div class="counterrotate">
      <div class="inner">hello
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

Solution 1:^[1]

How about this, demo at the bottom with 3 circles:

.outCircle  {
    width: 200px;
    height: 200px;
    background-color: lightblue;
    left: 270px;
    position: absolute;
    top: 50px;
	-moz-border-radius: 100px;
	-webkit-border-radius: 100px;
	border-radius: 100px;
}

.duringTwentyOne {
  -webkit-animation-duration: 21s;
}

.duringTen {
  -webkit-animation-duration: 10s;
}

.duringFour {
  -webkit-animation-duration: 4s;
}

.infinite {
   -webkit-animation-iteration-count: infinite;
}

.linear {
   -webkit-animation-timing-function: linear;
}

.counter {
   width: 50px;
   height: 50px;
   -webkit-animation-duration: inherit;
   -webkit-animation-direction: reverse;
   -webkit-animation-timing-function: inherit;
   -webkit-animation-iteration-count: inherit;
   -webkit-animation-name: inherit;
}

.rotate {
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%;
    -webkit-animation-name: circle;
    position: relative;
    z-index : 10;
    display : block;
}

.second {
  top : -100%;
}

.thirdBigger {
  top : -240%;
  left: -40%;
  width:150%;
  height: 150%;
}
  
.inner {
    width: 100px;
	height: 100px;
	-moz-border-radius: 50px;
	-webkit-border-radius: 50px;
	border-radius: 100px;
    position: absolute;
    left: 0px;
    top: 0px;
    background-color: red;
    display: block;

}

.red {
  	background: red;
}

.green {
  	background: green;
}


@keyframes circle {
    from {-webkit-transform: rotateZ(0deg)}
    to {-webkit-transform: rotateZ(360deg)}
}

<div class="outCircle">
  <div class="rotate linear infinite duringTen">
    <div class="counter">
      <div class="inner">hello
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="second rotate linear infinite duringFour">
    <div class="counter">
      <div class="inner red">bye bye
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="thirdBigger rotate linear infinite duringTwentyOne">
    <div class="counter">
      <div class="inner green">s'up
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

Solution 2:^[2]

Here is a more generic idea with less of where you don't need JS and you only need to apply an animation to the item (not the container). The trick is to make all the elements at the same position and using the same animationthen with the delay we can have the needed result:

#container {
  width: 200px;
  height: 200px;
  margin: 40px auto;
  border: 1px solid #000;
  display:grid;
  grid-template-columns:30px;
  grid-template-rows:30px;
  place-content: center;
  border-radius: 50%;
}
.item {
  grid-area:1/1;
  line-height: 30px;
  text-align: center;
  border-radius: 50%;
  background: #f00;
  animation: spin 12s var(--d,0s) linear infinite; /* duration = 12s, numbor of item = 6 so a delay of 12/6 = 2s */
  transform:rotate(0) translate(100px) rotate(0);
}
@keyframes spin {
  100% {
    transform:rotate(1turn) translate(100px) rotate(-1turn);
  }
}

<div id="container">
  <div class="item" style="--d:0s">1</div>
  <div class="item" style="--d:-2s">2</div>
  <div class="item" style="--d:-4s">3</div>
  <div class="item" style="--d:-6s">4</div>
  <div class="item" style="--d:-8s">5</div>
  <div class="item" style="--d:-10s">6</div>
</div>

We can easily scale to any number using some CSS variables:

#container {
  --n:7;   /* number of item */
  --d:12s; /* duration */

  width: 200px;
  height: 200px;
  margin: 40px auto;
  border: 1px solid #000;
  display:grid;
  grid-template-columns:30px;
  grid-template-rows:30px;
  place-content: center;
  border-radius: 50%;
}
.item {
  grid-area:1/1;
  line-height: 30px;
  text-align: center;
  border-radius: 50%;
  background: #f00;
  animation: spin var(--d) linear infinite; 
  transform:rotate(0) translate(100px) rotate(0);
}
@keyframes spin {
  100% {
    transform:rotate(1turn) translate(100px) rotate(-1turn);
  }
}

.item:nth-child(1) {animation-delay:calc(-0*var(--d)/var(--n))}
.item:nth-child(2) {animation-delay:calc(-1*var(--d)/var(--n))}
.item:nth-child(3) {animation-delay:calc(-2*var(--d)/var(--n))}
.item:nth-child(4) {animation-delay:calc(-3*var(--d)/var(--n))}
.item:nth-child(5) {animation-delay:calc(-4*var(--d)/var(--n))}
.item:nth-child(6) {animation-delay:calc(-5*var(--d)/var(--n))}
.item:nth-child(7) {animation-delay:calc(-6*var(--d)/var(--n))}
.item:nth-child(8) {animation-delay:calc(-7*var(--d)/var(--n))}
.item:nth-child(9) {animation-delay:calc(-8*var(--d)/var(--n))}
/*.item:nth-child(N) {animation-delay:calc(-(N - 1)*var(--d)/var(--n))}*/

<div id="container">
  <div class="item">1</div>
  <div class="item">2</div>
  <div class="item">3</div>
  <div class="item">4</div>
  <div class="item">5</div>
  <div class="item">6</div>
  <div class="item">7</div>
</div>

<div id="container" style="--n:5;--d:5s">
  <div class="item">1</div>
  <div class="item">2</div>
  <div class="item">3</div>
  <div class="item">4</div>
  <div class="item">5</div>
</div>

<div id="container" style="--n:9">
  <div class="item">1</div>
  <div class="item">2</div>
  <div class="item">3</div>
  <div class="item">4</div>
  <div class="item">5</div>
  <div class="item">6</div>
  <div class="item">7</div>
  <div class="item">8</div>
  <div class="item">9</div>
</div>

Solution 3:^[3]

Not sure if this is what you are after, but you need to position your rotating circles absolutely (so they don't interfere with each other) and then give them their own animation:

For the counter rotation, just make them then minus of what the rotation degrees is and that will keep your text horizontal

.outCircle {
  width: 200px;
  height: 200px;
  background-color: lightblue;
  left: 270px;
  position: absolute;
  top: 50px;
  -moz-border-radius: 100px;
  -webkit-border-radius: 100px;
  border-radius: 100px;
}
.rotate {
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
  position: absolute;  /* add this */
}
.counterrotate {
  width: 100px;
  height: 100px;
}

.inner {
  width: 100px;
  height: 100px;
  text-align: center;
  vertical-align: middle;
  background: red;
  border-radius: 100px;
  background-color: red;
  display: table-cell;
}
.anim1 {
  -webkit-animation: circle1 10s infinite linear;
}
.anim1 .counterrotate {
  -webkit-animation: ccircle1 10s infinite linear;
}
.anim2 {
  -webkit-animation: circle2 10s infinite linear;
}
.anim2 .counterrotate {
  -webkit-animation: ccircle2 10s infinite linear;
}
.anim3 {
  -webkit-animation: circle3 10s infinite linear;
}
.anim3 .counterrotate {
  -webkit-animation: ccircle3 10s infinite linear;
}
@-webkit-keyframes circle1 {
  from {
    -webkit-transform: rotateZ(0deg)
  }
  to {
    -webkit-transform: rotateZ(360deg)
  }
}
@-webkit-keyframes ccircle1 {
  from {
    -webkit-transform: rotateZ(0deg)
  }
  to {
    -webkit-transform: rotateZ(-360deg)
  }
}
@-webkit-keyframes circle2 {
  from {
    -webkit-transform: rotateZ(90deg)
  }
  to {
    -webkit-transform: rotateZ(450deg)
  }
}
@-webkit-keyframes ccircle2 {
  from {
    -webkit-transform: rotateZ(-90deg)
  }
  to {
    -webkit-transform: rotateZ(-450deg)
  }
}
@-webkit-keyframes circle3 {
  from {
    -webkit-transform: rotateZ(180deg)
  }
  to {
    -webkit-transform: rotateZ(540deg)
  }
}
@-webkit-keyframes ccircle3 {
  from {
    -webkit-transform: rotateZ(-180deg)
  }
  to {
    -webkit-transform: rotateZ(-540deg)
  }
}

<div class="outCircle">
  <div class="rotate anim1">
    <div class="counterrotate">
      <div class="inner">hello
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="rotate anim2">
    <div class="counterrotate">
      <div class="inner">hello
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="rotate anim3">
    <div class="counterrotate">
      <div class="inner">hello
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

Solution 4:^[4]

Use translateX.

See this jsfiddle.

I made the outer circle position: relative and the inner ones position: absolute, so they lie on top of each others mids (which is just for illustration, this is just for positioning the child circles on the same spot; grouping them).

Then, from this center spot, the translateX tells the animation to give it a radius of in this case 100px (which is the radius of the outer circle). There you go.

Sources

This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Overflow and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Source: Stack Overflow

Solution	Source
Solution 1
Solution 2
Solution 3
Solution 4	krassdanke

'Rotate objects around circle using CSS?

Solution 1:[1]

Solution 2:[2]

Solution 3:[3]

Solution 4:[4]

Sources

Related Questions

Solution 1:^[1]

Solution 2:^[2]

Solution 3:^[3]

Solution 4:^[4]