Question

why does the moon orbit earth rather than the sun?
a the moon is closer to earth than it is to the sun.
b the moon is more attracted to earths magnetic field.
c the suns gravity is too weak to affect the moon.
d the moon is not affected by the suns gravity.

Explanation:

• Option a: The moon is closer to Earth than to the sun. According to the law of universal gravitation \(F = G\frac{Mm}{r^{2}}\), the gravitational force is related to the distance. Closer distance leads to relatively larger gravitational force that makes the moon orbit Earth.
• Option b: The moon's orbital motion is mainly due to gravitational force, not magnetic field.
• Option c: The sun's gravity is not weak. In fact, the sun has a huge mass and strong gravitational pull.
• Option d: The moon is affected by the sun's gravity. But because of its closer distance to Earth, the Earth - moon gravitational interaction is more dominant for its orbital motion around Earth.

Answer:

a. The moon is closer to Earth than it is to the sun.