How does Earth's orbit stay constant, despite interactions with things like meteors and space junk? We have three dimensions to thank for that! Through simple animations, the narrator illustrates the how gravitational pull affects our orbit and ultimately keeps us on the right track to not crash helplessly into the sun.

Concepts

the earth's orbit, gravity, force of gravity, the solar system, the sun

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Before watching the video, ask the class why they think Earth doesn't spiral toward the sun when it collides with another body
• Show learners a video of a hyperbolic funnel, or, if possible, provide one for a fun demonstration of the topic

Classroom Considerations

• The resource requires some prior knowledge of gravitational forces for understanding

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• The content addresses an interesting and thought-provoking question
• Illustrations that accompany the script depict Earth's path around (or into) the sun, which clarifies the conditions the narrator describes

Cons

• None