What would happen to the moon orbiting around the Earth and the sun wasn't there?

Answer 1

If the earth did not revolve around the sun, there would not be any seasons. The problem is that if the earth did not revolve around the sun, that is, if it came to a stop in its orbit, the sun's gravity (with just the tiniest help from the earth's) would pull the earth into the sun.

Answer 2

A change in the speed of rotation of the moon would have little effect.

Tides on earth would be the same.

The pattern of waxing and waning crescent would be the same.

Perhaps the most obvious difference is that, if the moon were not tidally locked to the earth, there would be no "unknown side" to the moon.

If the moon rotated differently than it does now, then any particular place on the moon would, sooner or later, rotate to the visible "near" side of the moon.

Currently the moon rotates in the same direction as the vast majority of other objects in our solar system -- as viewed from the north celestial pole, counter-clockwise.

If the moon had precisely zero absolute rotation, then it would appear (from earth) to turn so that the same face returned to view about once a month.

(The same face would return to view during full moon once a year).

But precisely zero absolute rotation wouldn't last long -- tidal forces of the sun on the moon, and on the earth on the moon, would start spinning up the moon.

Answer 3

If the Earth stopped rotating it would be a death sentence for most of the world. If the earth did not rotate, there would only be one day a year. There would be no seasons as we know them.

The planet would turn into a place where there is either deadly heat for half a year followed by a half year of deadly cold. This means that there would only be a few areas on the planet that could be habitable. Where could those places possibly be?

(1) Maybe somewhere in the mountains near the arctic or antarctic circles. Here the temperature variations are minimized by the local conditions

(2) Underwater, Duh!

Answer 4

If you mean "the earth didn't orbit the sun", it would do one of two things depending on it's speed and direction.

1. It would spiral into the sun and burn up.

2. It would go off into outer space and freeze solid.

Answer 5

nothing the moon would keep orbiting around earthe while the earth goes flying off into space or it starts orbiting around something else big...like Jupiter...

on another note:

Pluto should be a planet...

Answer 6

Revolve around the sun that is.

And yes, if the earth didn't revolve around the sun, there would be no seasons.

Another scenario is if the orbit of earth would be perfectly circular, also then there would be no seasons.

Answer 7

Tides would be a bit smaller (the Moon's contribution to tides is dominant, but the Sun's gravity would be enough to cause tides even without the Moon... they'd just be around half the size, or thereabouts, and they'd come at pretty much the same time every day).

Other than that, it's really hard to predict.

(The above assumes the Moon weren't there at all. If it was still there, but not orbiting the Earth, it would pretty quickly crash into the Earth due to gravity, probably destroying all life in the process).

Answer 8

First of all, the Earth doesn't revolve around the Earth. But I think I know what you mean.

If the Earth's rotational axis were exactly perpendicular to the plane of its orbit, (not

'tilted'), there would be no seasons anywhere on Earth. Day and night would be the

same length all year, the equator would be hot, the poles would be cold, and there

would be a gradual transition on the way from one to the other, all year around.

Pretty boring, actually.

Answer 9

there would be sun on one side and dark on the other uhhh but im not sure this is right

Answer 10

It would hit the Earth. But that is an impossible scenario.