0
Moons orbit planets, though they could sometimes be thought of as small planets. Objects are kept in orbit by the force of gravity. If something crashes into a planet and pieces of rock fly everywhere, they will be pulled together by the gravity of the planet and will start to orbit it. If an asteroid or large rock in space gets too near a planet, the planet's gravity will sometimes 'capture' it and keep the asteroid in orbit. ______________ Our moon orbits the earth in an elliptical orbit (almost all orbits in the solar system are elliptical). The interesting thing that may provide a satisfying answer to your interesting question is that objects really orbit each other; it is not a matter of one of the objects doing the orbiting all by itself. If you and a friend hold the ends of a rope and then begin to move in circles, you will find that you each will move in a circle, not just one of you. The one with the more mass will move in a smaller circle, but if you are identical, your movements will be the same. The earth and the moon each have mass, so each pulls on the other. Earth and moon orbit around the center of gravity of the earth/moon system. This center of gravity happens to be within the body of the earth, but it is not at earth's center. Two objects of the same mass will swirl around each other with their center of gravity half way between them. There are even systems of double stars that are in orbit around each other in this way.
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
Why are moons always smaller then the planets they orbit?
A smaller body always orbits around a larger body rather than the other way around because the larger body has more gravity
Do all the planets have smaller planets orbiting them?
No. Planets orbit suns, while moons orbit planets. Planets do not orbit planets.
Why are moons called satellites?
In astronomical terms, a satellite is any body that orbits another body. Planets are satellites of stars, and there are smaller "satellite galaxies" that border or orbit larger galaxies such as the Milky Way.The word moons refers to satellites of planets, dwarf planets, or asteroids. They are often called "natural satellites" to differentiate them from "artificial satellites" which are manmade devices in orbit around planets or moons.
What are 3 distinctive characteristics of orbit of planet and moon in the solar system?
1). They orbit in the same around the sun, and as the sun. 2). Orbits of planets and their larger moons are in just about the same plane. 3). Almost all planets and moons rotate on their axes in the same direction as the planets orbit the sun.
Do the stars orbit the planets or do planets orbit stars?
Moons orbit planets. Planets orbit stars. Some stars orbit other stars, or orbit their mutual center of gravity. Stars orbit the center of the galaxy. Galaxies may orbit the center of the "galactic group".
Why are moons always smaller then the planets they orbit?
A smaller body always orbits around a larger body rather than the other way around because the larger body has more gravity
Is earth larger or smaller than all the other planets?
Of the seven other planets that orbit the sun, three are smaller than Earth and four are larger.
What are rocky metalic objects that orbit the sun?
Planets or dwarf planets, depending on their size. (The larger ones would be planets, smaller would be dwarf planets.)
Do all the planets have smaller planets orbiting them?
No. Planets orbit suns, while moons orbit planets. Planets do not orbit planets.
What do tiny planets orbit?
Like larger planets, dwarf planets also orbit the sun.
Could a star orbit a planet larger then itself?
well for starters, stars don't orbit planets. Planets orbit stars, but some stars don't have planets that orbit them.
What smaller objects orbit a planets?
Moons.
What has a larger orbit comets or planets?
Comets.
Why are moons and planets different?
Planets are bodies that orbit a central star (in our case, the Sun), and moons are smaller bodies that orbit planets.
Does smaller planet orbit bigger planet or does bigger planet orbit smaller planet?
Planets orbit stars, not other planets. A planet-like object that orbits a planet is a moon.
Are there any moons larger then the planets that orbit them?
Nope
Why do planets are always in orbit?
to keep gravity going
