# Why doesn't the Moon fall down? The 3D book

> Turn the pages of a 3D book and watch Earth hold the Moon on its orbit, rising from the plates: why the Moon does not fall down, with questions and a short quiz.

Canonical: https://spacesphere.sygnito.com/en/learn/book/why-doesnt-the-moon-fall-down

An apple drops from a tree because Earth pulls on it. Earth pulls on the Moon too. So why does the Moon not come crashing down?

## 1. The apple question

An apple falls from a tree. So why does the Moon not fall on us too? ESA, the European Space Agency, asks this very question for young readers. First, the Moon does feel Earth's pull. ESA says that without Earth's gravity, the Moon would just float away into space. So gravity is not the missing piece.

**Quick check:** What would the Moon do without Earth's gravity, according to ESA?

- Fall straight down onto Earth
- Stop and hang still where it is
- Float away into space

## 2. Never still

ESA's answer is that the Moon is never still. It constantly moves around us. Its speed and its distance from Earth work together. ESA says this mix keeps the Moon in balance between fall and escape. Any faster, and it would escape. Any slower, and it would fall. Its path around us is called an orbit.

**Quick check:** What keeps the Moon from falling onto Earth?

- Its constant motion around us
- A cushion of air under it
- Earth's gravity switching off far from the ground

## 3. A balance on every lap

Here is a picture to keep. NASA says that if Earth were a basketball, the Moon would be a tennis ball. In real life, the Moon is about 30 Earths away. NASA adds that the Moon makes a complete orbit around Earth in 27 days. On every lap, the same balance holds. It never stops, so it never drops.

**Quick check:** Does the Moon ever pause on its trip around Earth?

- Yes, it rests at each full moon
- No, it keeps moving
- Yes, it stops once every lap

## Quiz

**1.** Why doesn't the Moon fall down onto Earth?

- Earth's gravity cannot reach that far
- It moves fast enough around us
- Something invisible holds it up

**2.** In ESA's simple picture, what would happen if the Moon moved much slower?

- It would fly off into space
- It would stay exactly where it is
- It would fall toward Earth

**3.** Does the Moon stay up because there is no gravity that far out?

- No, Earth's gravity still holds it
- Yes, gravity stops at the air's edge
- Yes, there is none in space

[Inspired by: Still Here, Techartist](https://iamtechartist.com/dinosaurs-to-birds/)

## Sources

- [ESA-KIDS-MOON-GRAVITY](https://www.esa.int/kids/en/learn/Our_Universe/Planets_and_moons/The_Moon_the_Earth_and_gravity)
- [NASA-SPACEPLACE-MOON-DISTANCE](https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/moon-distance/en/)
- [NASA-MOON-FACTS](https://science.nasa.gov/moon/facts/)

## Related

- [Learn](https://spacesphere.sygnito.com/en/learn)