How Does Gravity Keep the Moon in Orbit?

Gravity is like a big invisible string that pulls the moon toward Earth. But the moon isn’t just falling, it’s also moving sideways, so instead of crashing into Earth, it keeps going around and around in a circle, like a ball on a string being swung in circles.

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Imagine swinging a ball on a string in circles, the moon is like that ball, being pulled by Earth's gravity.
If there was no gravity, the moon would fly off into space like a spaceship.
The Earth pulls the moon, but the moon keeps moving forward, making it go around instead of crashing.

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Categories: Physics · gravity,orbit,moon