Here's a breakdown:
* Gravity: Every object in the universe with mass exerts a gravitational pull on every other object. The more massive an object, the stronger its gravitational pull.
* Earth and Sun: The Sun is much more massive than Earth, so it exerts a stronger gravitational pull on Earth than Earth exerts on the Sun.
* Orbital Motion: Earth's orbital motion is a balance between its inertia (tendency to move in a straight line) and the Sun's gravitational pull. The Earth is constantly falling towards the Sun due to gravity, but its forward motion keeps it from actually crashing into the Sun. This constant falling and forward motion results in a circular (or slightly elliptical) orbit.
So, it's not a single push or pull that keeps Earth in orbit, but rather the continuous force of gravity that keeps Earth in a constant state of "falling" around the Sun.
