Why doesn't the moon eventually crash into the earth (i.e, how can there be perfect gravity equilibrium?)

Question

And why don't the planets eventually crash into the sun? I can't believe the equilibrium is so perfect that we don't eventually crash or go flying out of the orbit path, and this has all bothered me very much since I was a child!

Answer 1

The moon IS moving further from the earth at a rate of about 3.8 centimeters per year


the planets should eventually be pulled into the sun, but the sun would be dead by that time.

orbit works that way, with the correct velocity, planets fall away from the sun, as long as the planet has a perpendicular velocity to the sun, but the sun pulls back, thusly giving a circular orbit.

Answer 2

It does not have to be a perfect equilibrium. If the moon or planet speeds up, the orbit changes. And vice versa: if the orbit changes, the speed changes.

But there is hardly anything out there that changes the orbit speed (or energy). The friction of the Earth's tides changes the Moon's orbit, by about a few centimeters per year. In several billion (not million) years, the moon *might* leave the Earth altogether, and go off on it's own orbit around the sun.

The same with the planets: it is much much more likely that something will perturb their obits so that they get further away from the Sun, sometime in the next 10 billion years, as compared to something that will bring them closer to the Sun.

Answer 3

There is no equilibrium about gravity. Everything falls toward each other. For something in orbit, like the moon, it just keeps missing the Earth's surface. Imagine throwing a rock off a tall mountain. The harder you throw, the further it travels before it lands (try drawing this out on a piece of paper). Now remember that Earth's surface is curved. If you throw it so hard that the rock falls but misses the Earth's surface due to the surface's curvature, then it has acheived orbit.

Answer 4

If the Moon lost it really is gravity it ought to fly faraway from the Earth, no longer in the direction of it. The Moon attracts the Earth, the Earth attracts the Moon. If by some potential the Moon stopped attracting the Earth although the Earth did not quit attracting the Moon, the stress on the Moon ought to shrink and it ought to bypass faraway from the Earth. this may maximum probable be using three type of breakdown procedure contained in the Universe as an entire, and the Moon should be the spectacular element we should agonize about as we should be flung off the Earth into area, in simple terms to be fried by the solar exploding, on condition that about the in simple terms element protecting it jointly is gravity.

Answer 5

the solar systems that weren't well balanced crashed long before any life could have developed
The orbits are oval shaped, not circular.
The speed from coming closer to Earth makes the moon fly off until Earths gravity pulls it back again
It's called "Centripetal & Centrifugal Forces"
The moon also pulls the Earth, but the parts it pulls are the oceans ... that what causes the tidal movements ... so the orbit of our planet is less effected that the water. (It's like a small guy trying to pull a big guy ... he'll tug his shirt more than shift the body)
It is nothing to loose any sleep over, just sit back and enjoy the sunsets the whole spinning effect creates

Answer 6

The moon is actually moving away from Earth. Long ago the moon was very close to the Earth and actually slowed down the rotation of the Earth to what it is today. The planets are moving fast enough that as they approach the sun they speed up and have enough velocity to again move away until drawn back again. Planets however do crash into the sun and other planets however in this solar system the cataclysmic events happened long ago. In fact our moon was formed from one of those very collisions you speak of.

Answer 7

the balance isn't exactly perfect... the moon is slipping ever so slightly away from Earth.... something like an inch a year or so... I'm sure someone with the right info will fill you in.... but the rest of the system is relatively stable.... unless something really upsets things, it will go on and on for a good long time.... for example, the huge earthquake that caused that deadly tsunami a few years back actually caused the earth's orbit to change slightly.... a huge hit from an asteroid may also cause a change and probably DID in the past history of Earth... but, in just normal movements, we're good to go.....gravity's pull is well countered by centrifugal force... neat, ain't it?...

Answer 8

There isn't perfect equilibrium. At some point, billions of years from now, the moon will fall to earth and the planets will eventually fall into the sun. It's just that it will take a VERY long time.

Answer 9

THIS UNIVERSE WILL GO ON FOR THE NEXT 1,000 YEARS OF PEACE.

THE SUN, MOON AND 12 PLANETS WILL WORK AS NORMAL FOR THE NEXT 1,000.

THERE ARE MANY LAWS GOD HAS TO FOLLOW.

PEOPLE MIGHT IGNORE LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE BUT GOD WILL FOLLOW IT UNTIL A NEW UNIVERSE IS CREATED.

PEOPLE ASK WHY KING DAVID DID NOT BECOME THE FIRST KING OF ISRAEL.

SOMEWHERE IN THE BIBLE OR THEOLOGIAN SAID THAT THERE WERE CURSES WHICH PREVENT DAVID FROM BECOMING THE FIRST KING OF ISRAEL.

THE CURSE OF THE 10 GENERATIONS OR THE CURSE OF THE 4 GENERATIONS.

Satan’s effort to counter God’s plan for the house of Jesse involved Saul. This was his second effort to thwart God’s plan for the house of Jesse. His first effort had been through the ******* curse on Judah and Tamar. Remember the ******* curse was effective for ten generations? Jesse was the tenth generation from Judah!

LET THIS BE A LESSON TO ALL FAMILIES IN THIS WORLD THAT WHAT YOU DO WILL HAVE EFFECT IN THE NEXT GENERATION TO COME.

THE AFRICAN RACE OF 600,000,000 ARE SUFFERING BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY DO IN EGYPT.

CHINA IS UNDER COMMUNISM BECAUSE THE SOUTHERN CHINESE ONCE ENSLAVE THE ISRAELITES FOR 400 YEARS.

Answer 10

Simple. because there is a God. Read the bible to be enlightened.