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Life on Earth would be vastly different, if there were life at all. While the moon affects tides (to a greater extent than the Sun), this is not its only function. The moon, being over sized as it is, sweeps the sky for us. Had the moon not been in orbit around the Earth, most of the objects that have hit it, would have hit the planet instead. Many of these objects would have been devastating had they struck the planet.

Take for example the crater Tycho. Roughly 108 million years ago, something struck the moon with enough force to crack the crust (the rays that radiate outward are the evidence of this). Even considering the protection that earth's atmosphere offers, had the object that created Tycho come at the planet instead, enough of it would have made it through to still result in a sizable disaster.

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Do the moons of Saturn orbit Saturn on the Rings of Saturn?

No, the moons of Saturn do not orbit on the rings of Saturn. The moons orbit around Saturn in separate paths. The rings of Saturn are made up of small particles of ice and rock that orbit around Saturn along a flat plane.


Is the direction of the earths orbit?

Which orbit would that be? The galactic orbit, the solar orbit, the local cluster orbit? From what viewpoint? Above or below the galactic plane, the planetary system plane, from the point of view of a different place in the local cluster than on earth itself?


Why does a lunar or solar eclipse happen only twice per year?

For an eclipse, Sun, Earth and Moon must be aligned. Most of the time, the Moon doesn't pass exactly in front of the Earth (for a solar eclipse) or behind it (for a lunar eclipse), but passes more to the north or more to the south. This is because the Moon's orbit around the Earth is not exactly in the same plane as Earth's orbit around the Sun.


What is mercury's inclination from the equator to its orbit?

Mercury's orbit is inclined at about 7 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic, which is the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun. This means that Mercury's orbit is tilted relative to Earth's orbit by 7 degrees.


What has changed the plane of the earths orbit?

Gravitational interactions with other celestial bodies, such as other planets and the moon, can cause the plane of the Earth's orbit to change slightly over time. This phenomenon is known as orbital inclination change.

Related Questions

Is the moons orbit in the same 3d plane as earths orbit?

No. For one thing, a plane is, by definition, 2-dimensional. The moon's orbit is tilted about 5 degrees relative to Earth's orbit.


Is the earths axis rotation almost parallel to the plane of its orbit?

No; it's about 23 degrees off the plane of its orbit.


What is the plane in space containing earths orbit called?

Ecliptic.


What would happen if the moons orbit were completely in the same plane as the earths orbit around the sun?

If the Moon's orbit were in the same plane as Earth's orbit around the Sun, we would experience a solar eclipse every month during the new moon phase as the Moon would pass directly between the Sun and Earth. This alignment would likely have a significant impact on Earth's tides and possibly cause more extreme weather patterns due to the gravitational influence of the Moon.


How is the moons orbit positioned relative to the eclptic?

The Moon's orbit is inclined by just over 5 degrees to ecliptic plane.


Do the moons of Saturn orbit Saturn on the Rings of Saturn?

No, the moons of Saturn do not orbit on the rings of Saturn. The moons orbit around Saturn in separate paths. The rings of Saturn are made up of small particles of ice and rock that orbit around Saturn along a flat plane.


Why are't all eclipse total eclipse?

The Earth orbits the Sun. The plane of the Earth's orbit is called the "ecliptic". The Moon has its own orbit around the Earth, and its own orbital plane. If the plane of the Moon's orbit was the same as the plane of the Earth's orbit, then there WOULD be solar eclipses at every new moon, and lunar eclipses at every full moon. But the plane of the Moon's orbit is NOT the same as the plane of the Earth's orbit - and really, why would they be? The Moon's orbital plane is inclined by about 5 degrees from the ecliptic. Therefore, eclipses only happen at full and new moons about every six months, when the Moon happens to be crossing the ecliptic.


Is the direction of the earths orbit?

Which orbit would that be? The galactic orbit, the solar orbit, the local cluster orbit? From what viewpoint? Above or below the galactic plane, the planetary system plane, from the point of view of a different place in the local cluster than on earth itself?


Is Earths orbit with sun is perfectly in horizontal plane ie with the centre of sun?

One of the results of the way gravity works is that a small body in an orbit around a large body moves in a plane. So every point in the earth's orbit around the sun is in the same plane. If you want to be perfectly technical ... the center of mass of the earth/moon system orbits the center of mass of the (sun + all the planets + all their moons) system. But the differences are so small that you can legitimately picture it as if the center of the earth orbits the center of the sun. The plane of the earth's orbit is what we call the "Ecliptic Plane". The orbits of the other planets are in close to the same plane but not exactly.


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.


What is the plane of the earths orbit?

The plane of Earth's orbit is known as the ecliptic. It is the flat plane in space that represents the path along which the Earth travels around the Sun. The ecliptic is inclined at an angle of approximately 23.5 degrees to the celestial equator.


What is the the degree of the earths inclination?

The Earth's tilt, or inclination, or obliquity is about 23.44 degrees from the plane of its orbit around the Sun.