Understanding Orbital Motion
•The universal law of gravity allows us to understand orbital
motion of planets and moons:
• Earth and moon
attract each other through gravitation.
• Since Earth is much
more massive than the moon , the moon’s effect on Earth is small.
• Earth’s
gravitational force constantly accelerates the moon towards Earth.
• This
acceleration is constantly changing the moon’s direction of motion, holding it on its almost circular
orbit.