**Ask a monkey a physics question thread**

[MadMojoMonkey]

That's interesting but answers none of my questions.

Can Newtonian physics explain why one body will orbit another in a more or less stable way whereas another's orbit will decay into crash phase?

Yes, and it all has to do with the movement and concentration of energy from one form to another.

I described some forms of energy transfer, which would contribute to these different orbital behaviors. There are more avenues of energy transfer, but I'd have to know specifically what you're talking about to answer the mechanism involved.

In general, objects in orbits do not "decay into crash phase." The most prevalent decay phase is for an elliptical orbit to become more circular over time.

Not all decays involve the orbiting objects moving toward each other. The moon's orbital decay is taking it away from the Earth, not toward it.

[Poopadoop]

Not all decays involve the orbiting objects moving toward each other. The moon's orbital decay is taking it away from the Earth, not toward it.

So this leads into my question, just in an opposite form. What are the properties of a stable orbit that make it different from one that decays? Or do all orbit situations decay and if so, why?