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Ask an Astronomer

The Moon

THe Earth and Moon are tidally locked, right? So does that mean, if the Earth were a sun, that one side of the moon would NEVER face the sun? Thanks!!!

November 21, 2025

Yes, you have it right!  As the Moon is tidally locked to Earth, only one side of the Moon would faced the Earth, while the other does not However, it is possible that...

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The Moon
Tidal Locking
Tides
CategoriesCategories:
The Earth
The Moon

Solar eclipses are not perfect with the moon’s size being slightly smaller and getting smaller as the moon moves further away from earth. Was there ever a time in history that it was perfect, with the moon’s apparent size being the exact same as the sun? If so, when?

January 17, 2025

The Moon is indeed slowly getting further and further away from Earth  But that's not the whole story  The Moon's orbit is slightly oval, so its distance is constantly changing...

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Admin Owl
Eclipses
The Moon
CategoriesCategories:
Lunar & Solar Eclipses
Our Solar System
Stargazing
The Earth
The Moon
The Sun

How is the earth moving away from the sun? If the earth is being pulled in by the gravitational force of the sun how can it be moving away? The only explanation i could think of is that somehow the other ‘nearby’ planets are producing enough gravitational force to upset the sun itself.

January 17, 2025

So, it's true that the sun's gravity is always pulling the Earth toward it However, the way that orbits work is that the planet-- in this case, Earth-- is constantly 'falling'...

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Admin Madz
CategoriesCategories:
Intermediate
The Earth
The Moon