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We are well aware that all objects are attracted to the Earth.
All objects including its natural satellite, the Moon. The attractive force
exerted by the Earth on an object is called the force of gravity . This force
is directed toward the center of the Earth, and its magnitude is called the
weight of the object.
Why then isn't the Moon falling into the Earth?
The answer is that it is actually continually falling on us!!
What prevents it from hitting us is the fact that it is rotating around us with
a sideways velocity sufficiently high, so that by the time the Moon has fallen
the 240 000 miles to the Earth, it has moved sideways about 240 000 miles, far
enough to miss the Earth.
The same reasoning applies to all the planets orbiting the Sun. The sideways velocity of the Earth (and all other planets), saves us from falling into the Sun. A planet or any body, which finds itself with no angular velocity close to the Sun, will find itself quickly drawn to the Sun.
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