Expert: Tom Whiting - 5/6/2010

Question
Why is the moon's orbit tilted?  This was a question on a homework page from school.  Is there a reason scientists know of?

Answer
Hi Tom,
Why is Mercury's orbit tilted 8 degrees to the ecliptic?  Why is Pluto tilted 18 degrees?
Why are all the other planets 1-3 degree tilt from the ecliptic?  Why is the moon's orbit tilted 5 degrees to the ecliptic (and thus to the Earth's orbit)?  No one knows... perhaps it's just the way the clouds of condensing matter formed up some 4.6 billion years ago while the sun was forming up.
In the case of the moon however, since we think the moon was formed due to a large asteroid collision with the Earth about 4- 4.3 billion years ago, so it may have been the collison angle of the large asteroidal body that hit the Earth way back then.  But no one really knows, and there doesn't appear to be any way to find out.  It's just the way it is, that's all... so there is no reason (or past information) available to science that I know of.
Even science cannot know the unknown.
Clear Skies,
Tom Whiting
Erie, PA  USA

FOLLOW UP:
Besides, "Why" and "Who" are theological and philosophical questions, not science. (Why are we here? Why is Saturn here?  Who made us?)  These are not science questions... because they are pretty much a matter of opinion questions... they aren't "testable" nor can any data be obtained.

What are the questions science attempts to answer?  "How, what, where, when, and especially "By what process" questions!  These are the questions that science tries to answer and not the "Why" and "Who" questions.
(Ask your religious leader about the...why and who..questions.)
Doesn't that make more sense?  Of course.

So tell your teacher that the question (Why is moon's orbit tilted?)  is either a theological (religious) question or philosophical question, and NOT a science question.
In science, we try to answer the how, what, where, when, and By what process questions as best and truthfully as we can... by observations, collecting data, forming theories, forming conclusions, etc etc... namely, the scientific method.

We stay out of their area (Why and Who) and hopefully, they should stay out of our area too.
(especially the By What Process.... questions).
Clear Skies,
Tom