Ask Tappity: Science Questions for Kids > Why Doesn’t the Moon Crash Into Earth?
Why Doesn’t the Moon Crash Into Earth?
What in the world is keeping it up there? Watch this video to find out, and check out our kid-friendly explanation below!
Gravity Pulls Everything Towards Earth
The Earth’s gravity is constantly pulling the Moon towards it, just like it’s pulling you and me. We think of gravity as pulling things down, but scientifically speaking, we’re really being pulled towards the center of the Earth. So why doesn’t it fall?
The Moon is Going Fast
Well, the difference is that the Moon is also traveling super, super fast - around 3 times the speed of sound. That means it’s constantly trying to shoot away from the Earth, and gravity is the only thing keeping that from happening. Instead, it keeps going around and around. That’s called orbit.
The Moon is Like a Tetherball
Orbit is a lot like hitting a tetherball - if you hit the ball forward, it doesn’t fly straight away from you. Instead, the rope catches it, and makes the ball swirl around the pole. That’s just like the Moon’s orbit - Earth’s gravity is like the rope keeping it from flying away. When the ball slows down, it eventually hits the pole. So as long as the Moon keeps going as fast as it is (and it’s showing no signs of stopping!), we’re in no danger of it hitting us.
Moon Facts for Kids
Questions about the Moon? Look no further!
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A lunar year is the time it takes for the Moon to go all the way around the Earth - about 27 Earth days. A lunar day is the time it takes for the Moon to spin all the way around with respect to the Sun, which takes about 29.5 days.
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The Moon takes the exact same amount of time to rotate with respect to Earth as it does to go around the Earth, we more or less always see the same side of the Moon facing us. We didn’t get to see the far side of the Moon until a satellite photographed it in 1959!
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Scientists have detected lunar water in the form of ice in permanently shadowed craters on the Moon’s poles.
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That’s right! The Moon has moonquakes, just like the Earth has earthquakes. The strongest of them registered a 5.5 on the Richter scale - strong enough to move heavy furniture on Earth. And they continued for over 10 minutes! Astronomers still aren’t sure what causes these quakes - maybe astronauts on a Moon Base could study them further.
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The leading theory for the origin of the Moon is that it was once part of Earth. When Earth was still very recently formed, scientists believe another small early planet collided with it, blasting off debris that eventually became the Moon.
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Yes! Well, with a lot of help. NASA has plans to establish a lunar base within the next 20 years that would allow astronauts to live on the Moon for up to 2 months.
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No life has yet been discovered on the Moon, and astronauts have checked! Scientists analyzed Moon rocks from the Apollo mission for lunar lifeforms, but didn’t find anything.
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The Moon’s diameter is about ¼ Earth’s diameter. That means that if the Earth were the size of a bowling ball, the Moon would be about the size of a golf ball.
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There isn’t any weather on the Moon, because the Moon doesn’t have an atmosphere. In other words, there’s no air, so there's no wind to blow around. Because there’s no air, if you dropped a hammer and a feather at the same time on the Moon, they would fall at the same exact speed! Don’t believe it? An astronaut on the Apollo 15 mission tried it in 1971, so you can watch the video to see for yourself!
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Scientists have successfully grown plants in samples of lunar dirt (called regolith) brought back from the Apollo missions. The plants grew slowly, but the fact that it’s possible at all is promising for establishing a lasting human presence on the Moon.
More Answers to Space Questions from Kids
How big is the universe? What was the Big Bang? The Tappity “Astronomy” library has interactive lessons with answers to those questions and more!
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