All Questions
90
questions
89
votes
9
answers
220k
views
Why doesn't the Moon fall onto the Earth?
Why doesn't the Moon fall onto the Earth? For that matter, why doesn't anything rotating a larger body ever fall onto the larger body?
- 1,033
43
votes
5
answers
31k
views
Why is a new moon not the same as a solar eclipse?
Forgive the elementary nature of this question:
Because a new moon occurs when the moon is positioned between the earth and sun, doesn't this also mean that somewhere on the Earth, a solar eclipse (...
- 1,335
41
votes
7
answers
9k
views
Why does the full Moon appear?
I know that the full Moon appears when Sun, Moon and Earth are in a straight line, but if we consider that they are in straight line, why is the Moon illuminated?
I mean to say that Earth should ...
- 592
37
votes
6
answers
12k
views
If the moon had a mirror surface, would the earth be equally illuminated as by the sun during full moon, or would it require a different mirror shape?
Suppose the apparent diameters of the sun and the moon are exactly the same (which in fact very close to the real situation). If the moon had a perfect mirror surface, would the reflected visible ...
20
votes
1
answer
2k
views
If the tidal bulge on the earth speeds the moon up, how does the moon move to a higher orbit?
I understand that the moon causes a tidal bulge on Earth, and this tidal bulge moves slightly ahead of the moon due to Earth's rotation.
When reading about why the moon is moving away from the Earth, ...
- 303
20
votes
5
answers
3k
views
Does the Moon's core still contain significant heat?
On earth, using earth-sheltering techniques can significantly reduce the temperature fluctuations on a structure. Would the same statement be true as well on the Moon? Does the Moon's core still ...
Walter
19
votes
3
answers
5k
views
How can a full moon be seen south of an observer's location?
I know this seems like a simple question, but I'm trying to debate with a flat earth theorist. I asked him to explain why can the ISS visibly be seen orbiting the Earth with the naked eye, and he put ...
- 215
18
votes
3
answers
3k
views
I was told that if the Moon had a retrograde orbit, tides would have a faster rhythm. Why is that?
Would this be because tidal deceleration causing the Earth to spin faster or are there other actions in play that I haven't considered? Would the Earth even spin faster because of the tidal ...
- 283
17
votes
5
answers
28k
views
Does the moon affect the Earth's climate?
So, this morning I was talking to a friend about astronomical observations, and he told me that lately there has only been good weather when there was a full moon in the sky, which was a shame.
I ...
- 282
16
votes
1
answer
447
views
Impact location that created the moon
I was reading an article today about the 1000th orbit of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and as many of you know NASA created an animation that simulates the history of the moon. It is speculated ...
- 661
15
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Mars just collided with Earth! A question of eccentricity
One of the standard theories behind the formation of our Moon is the giant impact hypothesis, according to which Earth was struck by a Mars-sized body (about $10\%$ the mass of Earth) early in its ...
user10851
13
votes
6
answers
9k
views
Is the Moon in a "Freefall" Around the Earth? [duplicate]
The force of gravity keeps our Moon in orbit around Earth. Is it correct to say that the Moon is in “free fall” around Earth? Why or why not?
I think the answer is yes. The moon is falling towards ...
- 243
12
votes
4
answers
3k
views
If we were on the Moon would Earth appear to be in motion or at rest?
If we were on the moon would earth appear stationary or would it appear to move. I think it must be stationary because moon is in sychronous rotation with earth.
- 644
11
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Could the earth have another moon?
First, to clarify: I'm not asking if perhaps there's a moon that we haven't found yet. The question is, theoretically, would the earth be able to have another stable moon in addition to the current ...
- 3,439
11
votes
1
answer
181
views
Why did the june 2011 lunar eclipse last so long?
It was kind of hard to miss the lunar eclipse this week, although I didn't see it in person (Sod's law means that on every relatively major astronomical event clouds cover where I am). From what I ...
- 6,927