since th earths gravity is pulling on the moon, why does'nt it pul it to its surface eventually?

Answer 1

What keeps the moon from crashing into earth is the fact that the moon is rotating around the earth. The angular momentum keeps the moon from making its way to Earth. In fact, currently, I believe the moon is actually slowly moving away from the Earth because of the angular momentum (think of slinging a ball on a rope around your head; the tendency of the ball is to fly away from you).

But this won't last forever. Eventually the angular momentum will not be enough to overcome the Earth's gravity and the moon will slowly creep its way back toward Earth. Also, the gravity from the moon will eventually slow the earth's rotation down to the point where a day will be as long as a month. This configuration is called tidal lock. The Earth will keep the same face toward the moon just like the moon keeps the same face to the Earth now.

But the sun will eventually die and expand and nearly engulf, if not fully engulf, the Earth. I'm not sure which should happen first. The moon crashing into the Earth or the sun engulfing the earth.

Crazy universe!

Hope the helps.

Answer 2

The Moon is falling toward the Earth, but it is also moving "sideways". So by the time the Moon has fallen 1 foot, it has moved sideways far enough so that the curved surface of the Earth is 1 foot lower, and the Moon is still the same height above the ground. That is one way to describe an orbit. The other way to describe it is that the centrifugal force of its orbit balances the pull of gravity. A less accurate but more easily accepted description of how orbits work for most people.

Answer 3

There are many good answers already. One belief is that the Earth and Moon are in a cyclical process. While the Moon sucks momentum off the Earth, the Earth slows down and the Moon goes further out. It is believed that instead of having a "tidal lock" that the Moon will move out eventually to a far enough distance that the Earth will speed back up again pulling it in. Then it will repeat over again. Constantly moving in and out and speeding and slowing.

Answer 4

The moon is constantly falling toward the earth due to the earth's gravity.
However (luckily) the moon is traveling forward as it falls toward the earth - because it is traveling forward, it is literally falling around the earth.
Imagine if you could fire a cannon ball (ignore air resistance) parallel to the earths surface at such a speed that as it kept falling toward the surface, it would follow the earth's curvature and continue to travel around the earth, never getting any closer to the ground.
In a nut shell, this is what the moon does.

Answer 5

actualy not only the earth gravity pulls moon, the moon gravity pulls earth too. all the objecs pull each other. but when the waight is small, the gravity is so small, that you can't feel it. So whan it concerns big objects like planets and stars they all pull each other an they are brought to a postionin space to which all this forces bring them. they come to a balance

Answer 6

All things in space affect each other. The suns gravity is actually pulling the moon away from the earth a fraction of an inch per decade. in millions of years the moon will cease to be earth's satellite.