orbits

• what is an orbit?

  the curved part of one celestial object or spacecraft around another celestial object.
• what is a planets instantaneous velocity?

  how fast its going at that point in time
• what does the earth exert to the moon since they're both so close?

  a strong gravitational pull
• why does the moon not get pulled into the earth by the gravitational pull?

  since its got so much momentum from orbiting the earth its strong enough to not get pulled in. since its going so fast it can only change its direction very slightly.
• the _____ of the moon is always the same

  speed
• the moon is constantly changing _________

  direction
• why is the moons velocity constantly changing?

  because velocity measures direction and speed
• what happens every time the moon changes direction as it orbits?

  its accelerating even though it isn't getting faster or slower
• what does the size of an objects orbit have to do with its speed?


  the smaller an objects orbit the faster the object goes in order to maintain a stable orbit. otherwise it would be sucked into the object that its orbiting.