Why do planets and moons orbit other planets and moons?
Tides are the culprit. A moon feels a gravitational pull from its planet. That pull is stronger on the moon’s near side than on its far side, so the moon gets pulled into a slightly elongated shape. It takes less than a billion years for tidal friction to make the orbit of most moons equatorial.
Why does the planets orbit around the sun?
The sun’s gravity pulls the planet toward the sun, which changes the straight line of direction into a curve. This keeps the planet moving in an orbit around the sun. Because of the sun’s gravitational pull, all the planets in our solar system orbit around it.
Why do all of the planets orbit in the same direction?
Originally Answered: Why do all the planets in the solar system rotate in the same direction around the Sun? Planets orbiting the Sun in the same direction is simply the result of the initial rotation of the ‘solar nebula’ – the cloud of gas and dust that condensed to form the Sun and planets.
Why do planets orbit the opposite way to other planets?
The gravitational coupling between the two planets causes the inner planet to go into an eccentric, needle-shaped orbit. It has to lose a lot of angular momentum, which it does by dumping it onto the outer planet.
Why does the Moon orbit the Earth and the planets orbit the sun?
Anyway, the basic reason why the planets revolve around, or orbit, the Sun, is that the gravity of the Sun keeps them in their orbits. Just as the Moon orbits the Earth because of the pull of Earth’s gravity, the Earth orbits the Sun because of the pull of the Sun’s gravity.
Why do planets remain in the orbit of their suns and satellites moons in the orbit of their host planets?
Gravity Working with Inertia The gravity of the sun and the planets works together with the inertia to create the orbits and keep them consistent. The gravity pulls the sun and the planets together, while keeping them apart. The inertia provides the tendency to maintain speed and keep moving.
Why do planets and their moons stay in orbit as they revolve around the Sun?
The gravity of the Sun keeps the planets in their orbits. They stay in their orbits because there is no other force in the Solar System which can stop them.
When explaining why the planets orbit the sun What two factors do we have to consider?
The gravity of the sun and the planets works together with the inertia to create the orbits and keep them consistent. The gravity pulls the sun and the planets together, while keeping them apart. The inertia provides the tendency to maintain speed and keep moving.