A Stephen Hawking Page to this Forum?

[Graham]

Yes, and it is possible that the Gas Giants harbour life. It seems that life is widespread throughout the universe. However, making the leap to intelligent life requires a huge amount of freak conditions.

[denise]

BBC newspaper headlines: daily star: Russians to claim venus

[Graham]

The Russians are small-minded. We have claimed the Sun.

[denise]

Deck chairs and sunlotion ready but lockdown might get in the way

[denise]

Ok I have a question that I suppose I could look up but if gravity keeps us from floating away why do the planets and so on stay put? Why don't they just fall? Not that I know which way is down 🤔

[Doug Carpenter]

It's a perfectly sensible question Denise.

The point is that the planets - or our moon - ARE falling. But their forward velocity means they never reach the attracting mass.

It's well explained by Newton's cannonball. A thought experiment that imagines a cannoball fired horizontally from a very high mountain. As the muzzle velocity increases to about 7,300 metres per second it never hits the ground and goes into orbit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton%27s_cannonball

Doug

[denise]

Why do I find this terrifying but on the other hand after 65 years resident on earth it has never, as yet, altered my day to day life so I should just think about things without dwelling too much on the answer ☺

[matthew55]

So called clever people purport to answer questions that have no answer. 😉😊x

[denise]

We think the same thoughts 😁