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The simple answer is: The Earth is not slowing down in its orbit at all.
If you want to get technical, then yes, the Earth's orbital speed is slightly less than average
in early July, when we're at the part of the orbit that's farthest from the sun. But then, in
early January, when we're at the part of the orbit that brings us closest to the sun, the Earth
speeds up slightly faster than average.
The best, most comprehensible, least mathematical, and most honest answer to "why" is:
That's the way gravitational orbits work ... closer faster, and farther slower. That's also,
in a nutshell, Kepler's second law of planetary motion.
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoIn an elliptical orbit the kinetic energy plus potential energy stays constant, but at times when the distance is increasing, KE is being converted to PE.
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoNothing, thank goodness; otherwise, in the 4.5 BILLION years since the formation of our solar system, the Earth would have spiraled into the Sun.
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What is in orbit 100 miles above the earth?
Not much. 100 miles up is within the outer boundaries of our atmosphere, and something at that altitude would inevitably be slowed down by friction and would fall out of orbit. So the only things in orbit at 100 miles altitude is stuff that has fallen out of a higher orbit and is on the way down.
How is a weather satellite in polar orbit able to view Earths surface?
From the question, I'm guessing that when the questioner reads the term "polar orbit", he's picturing the satellite doing a little tiny circle in the sky over the North Pole. This is not an accurate understanding of the term. Remember that the center of the orbit of an artificial satellite has to be at the center of the earth. A 'polar orbit' is an orbit that covers both poles. If you picture the globe of the earth, the satellite's orbit is a circle standing up, with the satellite traveling up and down, passing over both poles in each complete revolution of the earth. As the earth rotates, every point on earth passes under the orbit, and sooner or later, every point on earth will be visible from the satellite.
What happens to the orbit of the earth when velocity is halved?
Kepler's third law says the square of the period of a satellite is proportional to the cube of its semi-major axis. The fact that the Earth's orbit is not a perfect circle complicates matters, since it makes it depend a bit on at just what point in the orbit you cut its velocity in half. However, if you were to somehow cancel out half the Earth's orbital velocity without destroying the Earth in the process (it's hard to know exactly how one could do this), at the very least its orbit would become a lot more eccentric. (I've actually just used the very fun Universe Sandbox to simulate this, and it turns out that the Earth's orbit gets a lot more oval and the length of the year drops to a bit under half what it is now ... again, the precise details depend on exactly where in its orbit Earth is. Typically, though, the Earth's new orbit would take it from approximately the distance from the Sun it currently is to considerably inside the orbit of Mercury every year.)
What happens to it's orbits if a satellite is in orbit around the Earth and it slows down?
If the speed of a satelite orbiting earth were to decrease, it's orbit would come closer to the earth, and eventually it would fall to the Earth. Space administratioins(like NASA) use calculus and whatever fancy term thay use for their math to try and make it land in a safe place. On the other hand, if it were to increase in speed, it would eventually leave Earth's orbit.
How do scientists keep satellites from falling to Earth?
The same way they prevent the moon from falling to earth . . . give it enough horizontal speed so that by the time gravity has pulled it down 10 feet, the surface of the earth has curved down 10 feet, so it's still just as far from the surface as it was originally. Perform this maneuver enough times, and the moon "falls" through a complete circle around the earth, without ever getting any closer to it. And scientists have nothing to do with it.
If a spacecraft is in orbit around the earth and it turns around and fires its engine to slow down?
that isn't a question, but if it did it it would get pulled to earth by earth's gravity
What is the moon doing in the orbit?
The moon is circling around the earth following the sun when it goes down
Why don't satellite fall from the sky?
They are put into orbit by shuttles and stay in orbit around the earth, like the moon. Since they are no longer affected by Earth's gravitational field, they will not naturally fall down to Earth.
What what is the shape of the moon's orbit around Earth?
The orbit of the Moon around the Earth is elliptical. An ellipse is a flattened circle, much like an oval. The Moon takes just under a month to revolve around the Earth. Looking down on the Earth above the North Pole, the Moon revolves counterclockwise around the Earth, which is the same direction that the Earth rotates on its axis.An ellipse. Very close to a circle though.Unlike many other moons, the Earth's moon follows an elliptical orbit.
What things does gravity do good?
-- keeps the earth in orbit around the sun -- keeps the moon in orbit around the earth -- keeps you in bed at night -- holds stones down on the ground so they don't go floating around -- brings rain down from the clouds to the ground where the plants are -- holds ladies' skirts down -- holds your food down on the plate -- keeps your coffee in the cup -- helps the dishwater go down the drain -- holds the air down on the earth so we can breathe
Why does a spaceship orbit around earth?
Because it has reached the "Orbit" zone in the upper atmosphere where the gravity is only strong enough to keep it from floating off into space, but not strong enough to pull it down back to Earth. Thus why it just travels parallel to the Earth's surface
How does a space shuttle accelerate in space?
By reducing its velocity and dropping to a lower orbit. Objects in low orbit travel around the earth faster due to the orbit's smaller circumference. Conversely, it slows down by increasing its velocity and ascending to a higher orbit with a greater circumference.
What are tides on Earth doing to the Earth's rotation and to the Moon's orbit around us?
Its really the other way around. The moon is causing the tides on earth. When the moon has different ways of rotating around us sometimes pressure changes and affects the oceans tides. Edit: 1) An effect is to gradually slow down the Earth's rotation. 2) Also the Moon is slowly moving away from the Earth, so its orbit is getting bigger.
Between what seasons does orbital velocity speed up and slow down?
The season depends on which hemisphere you are in.The earth's orbit around the sun is not a circle. The earth's orbit around the sun is slightly elliptical. Therefore, the distance between the earth and the sun varies throughout the year.At its nearest point on the ellipse that is the earth's orbit around the sun, the earth is 91,445,000 miles (147,166,462 km) from the sun. This point in the earth's orbit is known as perihelion and it occurs on January 3. During our closest approach is when our orbital velocity is the greatest.The earth is farthest away from the sun on July 4 when it is 94,555,000 miles (152,171,522 km) from the sun. This point in the earth's orbit is called aphelion.The slight ellipse in the earth's orbit does have a slight impact on the amount of solar energy being received by the earth. This 3.3% difference in distance does not impact the earth as much as the seasonal variations, however.From: http://geography.about.com/od/physicalgeography/a/orbitsun.htm
How long down it take the moon to rotate around earth?
Aroung 29.5 days, which is called a lunar month. We use months in our calendar because of the moon's orbit around us.
Which situation can you be at rest and moving at the same time?
Being at rest is a relative term. Relative to earth we are at rest when we are sitting down. However, you are moving because the earth is moving its orbit around the sun.
In which situation can be at rest and moving at the same time?
Being at rest is a relative term. Relative to earth we are at rest when we are sitting down. However, you are moving because the earth is moving its orbit around the sun.
