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Our moon spins and orbits around the Earth, which rotates and revolves around the our sun--the center of a solar system, sitting right within the Orion Arm, which probably spins in some aspect of its own, subject to the rotation the entire Milky Way galaxy experiences. Even our galaxy is subject to some movement as the universe expands and mayhap revolves around something bigger than we can imagine. Given the nature of all these things, couldn't we logically suppose there is some sort of "center of the universe" our galaxy revolves about?

Anyway--I'm just wanting to know: exactly why does this occur? My hypothesis is simply that, when a bypassing object comes within range of a gravitational field, it's least difficult route is a spiral path, orbiting the object. Sometimes it'll just be a simple tangent, and miss the orbit altogether. A subquestion might be, why isn't orbital decay a big deal? Why hasn't the Earth fallen into the Sun? Explain centrifugal force?

Thanks.

2007-07-06 11:47:57 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics Astronomy & Space

"The Moon is in synchronous rotation, meaning that it keeps nearly the same face turned away from Earth at all times. Early in the Moon's history, its rotation slowed and became locked in this configuration as a result of frictional effects associated with tidal deformations caused by the Earth.[6] Nevertheless, small variations resulting from the eccentricity of the lunar orbit, termed librations, allow about 59 percent of the lunar surface to be viewed from Earth.[1]"

Id est, the moon does in fact rotate on its own axis. It just does so in such a fashion that it makes a full rotation once every time it makes its revolution around the Earth. Go ahead and try to imagine what an object would do always having one given side facing inward at a point, revolving around it, yet never rotating. Try doing it with your hand and an imaginary point.

2007-07-07 12:31:16 · update #1

5 answers

Well think about it. Out of all the angular velocities that you could have, why should zero be special? So everything spins at least a little. Just like every orbital is at least a little eccentric. Every velocity is a bit different. It's statistically inevitable. So you can't imply from that a center of the universe.

Re, why the earth doesn't fall into the sun: centrifugal force is something you feel in a rotating reference frame because the entire reference frame is accelerating inward. In an inertial reference frame, anything has to be pushed INWARD to rotate--otherwise its inertia would just carry it off. So the sun's gravity provides this inward push--centripetal force--that keeps the earth in its orbit.

If you study the math, you'll learn about what paths an object can take in the gravitational field of a massive point object. The paths are conic sections. Objects in orbit go in ellipses. Objects that are just passing through go in hyperbolas.

2007-07-06 11:50:40 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

hi! before everything, permit me purely say that there remains lots to confirm approximately dark capability, yet you're proper, at the instant we've discovered that the universe is increasing at an accelerating fee. As I mentioned, we don't comprehend lots approximately dark capability yet we are in a position to assert that the universe will - possibly - end with the super Rip (a cosmological hypothesis whitch predicts that stars and planets would be torn aside, and an on the spot in the previous the tip, atoms would be destroyed). approximately your considerable question, to date as all of us comprehend, the Universe isn't rotating. The presence of rotation might bring about a type of exchange interior the Cosmic Microwave history temperature which has no longer been noted. to boot, the presence of rotation might mean that places alongside the axis of the rotation have been finally "specific", which violates our information of relativity that the Universe seems the comparable inspite of the area of the observer. i'm hoping this helps! See you around and proceed questioning!

2016-10-01 01:16:07 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0 0

Anyone who has studied the subject knows that rotation and orbit are angular velocities of mass which naturally happens when masses start coalescing.

2007-07-06 11:57:04 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

actually not everything does spin. for instance, the moon doesn't. it revolves around the earth, but it does not spin on its axis (the same "side" of the moon is always facing us).

2007-07-06 14:05:57 · answer #4 · answered by pitofjigoku 2 · 0 0

its the gravitational pull
everything has to either spin or else it cannot by any case in "space" or "vaccum" stay still... impossible..
going against the laws of physics

2007-07-06 11:53:11 · answer #5 · answered by lester2590 2 · 0 0

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