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ucsdhopeful
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I understand orbit and why the moon doesn't collide with the earth, but why doesn't the Earth collide with the moon? Shouldn't the mutual gravitational forces attract each other, get stronger, until they eventually meet?
Well, frankly it was kind of inaccurate.prashantjha said:this is what i acctually wanted to say as the main reason why both don't collide.this is the wobbling effect i was talkin' abt..
In fact, when the Moon makes its closest approach to the Earth, the Earth is likewise making its closest approach to the Moon. It's not like it "wobbles" out of the way.prashantjha said:they wobble in a way in which when the moon approches Earth by the nearest distance,the Earth wobbles and hence kepps it away from the moon.
Mikey said it.prashantjha said:ah,dave can you please explain elaborately,in which part I'm wrong.this will also help me!
The force that prevents the Earth from colliding with the moon is called gravitational force. This force is the attraction between two objects with mass, and it is responsible for keeping the Earth in orbit around the sun and the moon in orbit around the Earth.
Gravity keeps the Earth and moon in orbit by constantly pulling them towards each other. The Earth's gravity pulls the moon towards it, while the moon's gravity pulls the Earth towards it. This results in a balance between the two forces, causing them to orbit around each other.
If the Earth and moon stopped orbiting each other, they would begin to move towards each other due to the force of gravity. This would eventually lead to a collision between the two objects.
Yes, there are a few factors that can disrupt the Earth and moon's orbit. For example, the gravitational pull of other planets in our solar system can cause slight changes in the orbit of the Earth and moon. Additionally, the tidal forces from the sun can also have an impact on the orbit.
No, the Earth and moon are not on a collision course. The moon's orbit is gradually moving away from the Earth, so the distance between the two objects is actually increasing. It is estimated that it will take billions of years for the moon to completely leave the Earth's orbit.