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Be Smart. · Thursday · 5 min

Does The Moon Really Orbit The Earth?

Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate What holds the moon up? Moonbeams! Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub ↓ More info and sources below ↓ According to Newton's law of gravitation, the sun should "pull" way harder on the moon than the Earth does. So does the moon actually orbit the Earth? Why? Special thanks to Ariel for submitting this awesome question to our Facebook page! Hill Spheres and lunar orbit: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/09/29/the-moon-that-went-up-a-hill-but-came-down-a-planet/#.VULLHq1Viko True shape of moon's orbit: http://www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/teaching/convex.html Newton's law of gravitation vs. Hill Sphere: https://van.physics.illinois.edu/qa/listing.php?id=18501 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_sphere Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment or check us out at the links below! Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/okaytobesmart http://twitter.com/jtotheizzoe Follow on Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/jtotheizzoe ----------------- It's Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.DFollow me on Twitter: @jtotheizzoe Email me: itsokaytobesmart AT gmail DOT com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Google+ https://plus.google.com/+itsokaytobesmart For more awesome science, check out: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Produced by PBS Digital Studios: http://www.youtube.com/user/pbsdigitalstudios Joe Hanson - Creator/Host/Writer Joe Nicolosi - Director Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer Stephen Bohls - Editing/Motion Graphics/Animation Katie Graham - Director of Photography John Knudsen - Gaffer Theme music: "Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod Other music via APM Stock images from Shutterstock, stock footage from Videoblocks French subtitles by Alessandro Dal Cero ----------------- Last week's video: What's The Loudest Possible Sound? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi_aawsChqA More videos: Why Does February Have 28 Days? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgKaHTh-_Gs Why Vaccines Work https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aNhzLUL2ys Why Are Some People Left-Handed? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPvMUpcxPSA Where Does the Smell of Rain Come From? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGcE5x8s0B8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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transcript

No transcript — this publisher did not publish one.

show notes

Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate

What holds the moon up? Moonbeams!
Don’t miss our next video! SUBSCRIBE! ►► http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub
↓ More info and sources below ↓

According to Newton's law of gravitation, the sun should "pull" way harder on the moon than the Earth does. So does the moon actually orbit the Earth? Why?

Special thanks to Ariel for submitting this awesome question to our Facebook page!

Hill Spheres and lunar orbit: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/09/29/the-moon-that-went-up-a-hill-but-came-down-a-planet/#.VULLHq1Viko

True shape of moon's orbit: http://www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/teaching/convex.html

Newton's law of gravitation vs. Hill Sphere: https://van.physics.illinois.edu/qa/listing.php?id=18501
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_sphere

Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment or check us out at the links below!
Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/okaytobesmart
http://twitter.com/jtotheizzoe
Follow on Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com
Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/jtotheizzoe

-----------------
It's Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.DFollow me on Twitter: @jtotheizzoe
Email me: itsokaytobesmart AT gmail DOT com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart
Google+ https://plus.google.com/+itsokaytobesmart
For more awesome science, check out: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com
Produced by PBS Digital Studios: http://www.youtube.com/user/pbsdigitalstudios

Joe Hanson - Creator/Host/Writer
Joe Nicolosi - Director
Amanda Fox - Producer, Spotzen IncKate Eads - Associate Producer
Stephen Bohls - Editing/Motion Graphics/Animation
Katie Graham - Director of Photography
John Knudsen - Gaffer

Theme music:
"Ouroboros" by Kevin MacLeod

Other music via APM

Stock images from Shutterstock, stock footage from Videoblocks

French subtitles by Alessandro Dal Cero

-----------------

Last week's video:
What's The Loudest Possible Sound? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi_aawsChqA

More videos:
Why Does February Have 28 Days? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgKaHTh-_Gs
Why Vaccines Work https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aNhzLUL2ys
Why Are Some People Left-Handed? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPvMUpcxPSA
Where Does the Smell of Rain Come From? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGcE5x8s0B8

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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