The Earth-Moon orbit
- Author:
- Barbara
The Earth takes days to orbit the Sun and the Moon takes days to orbit the Earth in the sidereal month. The average distance between the Sun and the Earth is km and the average distance between the Earth and the Moon is km, which is of the distance between the Sun and the Earth.
The animation shows how the Moon's orbit would change if its distance to the Earth were greater than it actually is, assuming that the orbital period remains the same (this assumption does not obey the laws of physics). Use the slider to change the ratio .