Resultant force on orbiting Moon is gravitational, toward Earth

Steps:

• Identify forces on Moon: gravity from Earth pulls toward Earth's center; negligible others at this scale.
• Moon's motion is circular orbit, requiring centripetal force toward orbit center (Earth).
• Resultant force direction is net vector sum, dominated by Earth's gravity.
• At shown instant, arrow pointing from Moon to Earth matches this direction.

Why A is correct:

• Newton's law of universal gravitation states force acts along line joining centers, so toward Earth.

Why the others are wrong:

• B: Points tangential to orbit, matching velocity, not force direction.
• C: Points radially outward, opposite to gravitational pull.
• D: Points at an angle, ignoring direct line to Earth.

Final answer: A