Why doesn’t the moon fall down?
The moon is zooming sideways around Earth, really fast, zoom!
Pip’s answer
- The moon is zooming sideways around Earth, really fast, zoom!
- At the same time, Earth pulls on it, tug!
- So instead of falling down, it keeps falling around us, in a big circle!
For grown-ups
Earth's gravity does pull the moon toward us. But the moon is also moving sideways at about one kilometer per second. The combination means it keeps falling toward Earth while moving forward, so it curves around us in an orbit instead of crashing down. The International Space Station stays up the same way.
Ask your child: What do you think would happen if the moon stopped moving sideways?
More questions kids ask
- 🍎Why do things fall down?
- 🚀How do rockets go to space?
- 🌓Why does the moon change shape?
- 🌙Why does it get dark at night?
- ⭐Why do stars twinkle?
- ☀️Why is the sun so hot?
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