Question

Since the Moon has a force of gravity which is $6$ times lesser than Earth's, why doesn't it collapse into the Earth?

• A. The absence of gravity in space.
• B. The mass of the Moon is less than that of the Earth.
• C. The Sun's gravitational force is greater than that of the Earth.
• D. Due to centripetal force which is the force of gravity exerted by the Earth on Moon.

Answer 1

The correct option is D Due to centripetal force which is the force of gravity exerted by the Earth on Moon.

When the Moon is revolving around the Earth, it is actually getting accelerated towards Earth in such a way that the radius of the orbit remains constant. The acceleration towards the Earth (called centripetal acceleration) is caused by Earth's gravity which acts as a centripetal force.