# Could frame shifting alone capture a 'moon'

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-frame-shifting-alone-capture-a-moon/740442>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 14, 2015, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-frame-shifting-alone-capture-a-moon/740442 "2015-12-14T19:50:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-frame-shifting-alone-capture-a-moon/740442/1 "2015-12-14T19:50:05Z")

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For a object to be captured by some bigger ‘planet’ and made to orbit it seems like something needs to happen. Either a collision, or other force (perhaps a co-orbiting body), needs to basically slow it down so it won’t just exit the other side. Can frame shifting accomplish this alone? Which I understanding the effect of gravity of a rotating object.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-frame-shifting-alone-capture-a-moon/740442/2 "2015-12-14T21:22:38Z")

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I think you mean frame dragging, not frame shifting.

In principle, yes, it’s possible, but lots of luck pulling it off with anything short of a black hole. Effectively, it’s still a three-body interaction; it’s just that the gravitational field is itself the third object.