all i want to know if the big parts of the moon will stay in one place or will they go flying out into space?
2006-08-09 03:35:45 · 9 answers · asked by pinkbutterfly_rose 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Check your Newton's notes:
To every action comes a reaction with the same force and in oposite direction.
what do you think?
2006-08-12 16:31:30 · answer #1 · answered by Pablo 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The Moon is the moon because there are enough pieces that their gravity has gathered them together out of a billion bits. The Moon has been hit thousands of times. Pieces of the Moon have been blasted off and have fallen to Earth.
Of course there might be something really big out there. But it would have to be both big and moving very fast relative to the Moon. It would have to accelerate the pieces to the Moon's escape velocity. What ever reached that speed would then escape from the gravitational pull of the Moon and go flying away. Those parts that were ejected at an angle to the Moon's orbit would go into orbits around the Sun and rain down on Earth for thousands of years each time the Earth passed through that place in its orbit. If they were big pieces, they could cause damage to the Earth's surface.
If the pieces were along an orbital path around the Earth, they would form a ring such as we see around Saturn.
The Asteroid Belt is the result of such an impact on a planet that used to orbit between Mars and Jupiter. It is possible that much of the material in rings around the planets also came from this event.
It all depends on mass and momentum. Anything up to the size of an asteroid would just blast another crater on the Moon and provide some spectacular meteors for Earth's night sky. But if a planet sized object entered the Earth-Moon system, everything would change. There could be impacts, or perhaps the system would gain a third member. Remember, the bigger the object is, the farther away its gravitational effects will reach. It is just as likely that a new wet of orbits would be established for all three (Earth, Moon and Third) and who knows what we would end up with.
;-D Luckily, there are no such big objects around! Whew!
2006-08-09 04:50:47 · answer #2 · answered by China Jon 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The moon has been hit by many large objects, leaving huge craters. But if something hit it with enough force to break it apart, I think that many large and small pieces Will fly in different directions, But I think the majority of the material will end up orbiting the Earth, the Earth will have Saturn like rings. And imagine all the havoc it would cause to moon based things, such as the Tides, Human fears and physical being, Astrology and other seekers and for that matter any religious belief!
But then again, we could end up with 2 or 3 small moons and a ring or two!
2006-08-09 04:02:14 · answer #3 · answered by Lightning Struck Wizard 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
it depends on how big the meteor is and on the point of impact. all scenarios are possible.
BUT: if the moon gets hit by a meteor big enough to take out a big chunk out of it, it means there might be other meteors coming our general direction, and therefore that we're in BIG trouble (you've seen armagedeon? or deep inpact? well, that kind of trouble)
PS: as a matter of interest, the moon is a part of earth that got blow out into space during a meteor impact (a VERY BIG one). That's what the apollo mission's rocks taught us.
2006-08-09 03:42:32 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yeah the pieces of both the meteor and the moon will go flying into space...not because of gravitational or anything... but due to the momentum of the meteor
2006-08-09 04:38:57 · answer #5 · answered by Adi 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Actually it depends on how big the object striking the moon is. If it's big enough the impact debris could easily find its way to Earth. Many such lunar meteorites have been found on Earth, and even one all the way from Mars.
http://epsc.wustl.edu/admin/resources/moon_meteorites.html
2006-08-09 03:45:36 · answer #6 · answered by Chug-a-Lug 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Interestingly, a lunar satellite has been manoevered so it will crash into the moon's surface on 3rd September this year. You may be able to see the dust cloud through a small telescope.
2006-08-11 07:53:57 · answer #7 · answered by Goosefat Chaz 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
ima school student and im crazy about astronomy.
c if a meteorite strickes on themoon thats obvious that all tha particles would flow evrywhere,we can b in problem because the particles can enter the earth surface and can destroy the human prpoerty.
2006-08-09 04:00:12 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
They will fly out into space.
2006-08-09 03:47:11 · answer #9 · answered by ag_iitkgp 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋