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the moon is in orbit around the earth because its momentum tends to travel tangentially to its orbit, while the earth's gravity prevents its escape. (kind of like a slingshot) the orbit keeps it at the same distance from the earth at all times. if somehow this orbit was set off balance, the moon would either slingshot away from the earth or come crashing down onto it. :) i hope that helped answer your question.
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoNo one knows why the moon won't crash into the Earth, but I've developed my own theory. One of Newton's laws states that objects at rest tend to stay at rest and objects in motion tend to stay in motion. That only applies when there is friction. Very,very few amounts of friction can be found in space but it still exists. But it's not enough to keep the moon in space without crashing into the earth.My point in saying newton's law is that I theorize that an object with enough mass in one spot will tend to stay in that place. If the moon's core has more mass than the Earth's core the moon will not want to move.But because the Earth has more mass altogether, the Earth won't want to crash into the Earth either. But that is just my theory!
Wiki User
∙ 8y agoThe moon is slowly getting further away from the Earth at a rate of about 4 cm (a little more than an inch) per year.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoWiki User
∙ 15y agoThe gravitational pull keeps the moon up.
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What prevents the moon from flying out of orbit?
Earth.
Is it true that earth's gravity pulls the moon toward it?
Yes but the other planets/sun are also pulling the moon towards them, so the moon stays where it is and doesn't come crashing towards earth
When the sun the moon and earth are in a straight line would an eclipse of the sun occur?
Yes, a solar eclipse is when the moon passes in front of the earth (between the earth and sun) blocking sunlight. A lunar eclipse is when the earth is in between the sun and moon, and prevents the moon from reflecting sunlight and "shining"
Why does the moon not come crashing into the earth?
Due to the power attraction of the sun which keeps all planets and their satellites at a proper distance according to their masses.
What effects the size of craters on the moon?
The size of the object crashing into the lunar surface. There is no atmosphere on the moon to slow down approaching objects (as there is on Earth). This means that chunks of space 'rock' don't disintegrate on their way to the moon's surface.
What property of the moon that keeps it from crashing into the earth?
Gravity probably
What prevents the moon from flying out of orbit?
Earth.
Is it true that earth's gravity pulls the moon toward it?
Yes but the other planets/sun are also pulling the moon towards them, so the moon stays where it is and doesn't come crashing towards earth
Does moon has its own orbit?
The moon does has its own orbit around this planet, believe it or not. The moon does have its own gravitational pull strong enough so it won't go crashing into the Earth , yet not that strong to break out of Earth's gravitational reach to the moon.
How does the moon rotate around the earth without crashing into the sun?
It's able to slip in between the Earth and the sun, since the sun is about 390 times farther away from us than the moon is, and the space between the Earth and the sun is wide enough for about 35,000 moons to squeeze through. It's a lot like how the Space Shuttle or a TV satellite is able to revolve around the Earth without crashing into the moon. Also, how an Indy car is able to do qualifying laps around the track without crashing into the Empire State Building.
Why are there rings around Jupiter?
Rings around a planet are caused by a collision. This collision could occur from a moon crashing into a moon, a moon crashing into the planet, an asteroid crashing into a moon or an asteroid crashing into the planet. The resulting debris from the collision gets trapped in the planetary orbit, and hence, creates a ring system.
When the sun the moon and earth are in a straight line would an eclipse of the sun occur?
Yes, a solar eclipse is when the moon passes in front of the earth (between the earth and sun) blocking sunlight. A lunar eclipse is when the earth is in between the sun and moon, and prevents the moon from reflecting sunlight and "shining"
How many meteorites have miss the earth from crashing?
500 meteorites have missed the earth from crashing
Why does the eclipse does not occur every time earth is between the sun and the moon?
The moon's orbit is not in sync with the ecliptic plane, it is tilted off the ecliptic by about 5 degrees, this means that at New Moon the moon will sometimes pass above or below the sun, which prevents a solar eclipse from occurring. Likewise at Full Moon, the Earth's shadow will miss the moon at times since the moon too high up or low down, this prevents a lunar eclipse.
How do moon craters form on the moon?
They are formed by asteroids and meteorites crashing into the surface of the moon
Why the moon has holes?
They're craters - made by meteors crashing on the moon
Why does the moon not come crashing into the earth?
Due to the power attraction of the sun which keeps all planets and their satellites at a proper distance according to their masses.
