Have you ever wondered why all the bodies or objects that take off from the ground return to some, and at some point, back to the ground from where they started? This force of attraction is the product of The gravity of the planets that, it is nothing more than the force with which we are pushed towards the core of the planet, where its gravitational center is located.
Of course we cannot get to that point due to the various terrestrial layers that cover it, so we can say that all the bodies that interact in the Earth's surface They are governed by its gravitational force.
However, this force of gravity on the planets, in the case of the earth, is not limited by its atmospheric Layer, Since our natural satellite, known as the Moon, maintains an orbit around our planet due to the gravitational force exerted on it. If you want to know more about this orbital relationship, you can consult information on the orbits of the planets.
In this sense, we can infer that the moon also has its own gravitational center, this force is noticeable by the movement of the waters in our terrestrial layer, to which we commonly call The types of tides are the forces that raise water levels in seas, lakes, and oceans. For a more in-depth look at water and its relationship to gravity, visit ocean waters.
Gravity is closely related to mass. In this way, given that the Earth has a gravity of 9.8 m/s2, a body descending towards our planet reaches a speed of 9.8 meters per second squared in free fall.
It is also important emphasize that thank you These concentrated gravitational forces gave rise to the celestial bodies we know today, as all the cosmic dust, space particles, and elements concentrated to form planets, stars, and suns. If you want to understand how our system was formed, you can read about the formation of the solar system.
Thus, indicating that the planets revolve around the Sun is merely another way of expressing that the planets are in orbit around of the Sun. A planet, like the earth, in orbit around the Sun is like the Moon or a satellite that NASA sends into space, it is in orbit around the Earth.
why is the planet in orbit around the sun instead of the sun orbiting the planet?
the answer is simple and logical, we had already talked about the importance of the factor of the mass of bodies or objects.
Thus the lighter object is in orbit around the heavier one, and the Sun, to the naked eye, is the heaviest object in the Solar System. This solar star is a thousand times heavier than the largest planet in our system, which in this case is: Jupiter, this in turn is more than 300 thousand times heavier than the Earth. In this same vein, we can say that the Moon and the satellites we launch are in orbit around the Earth, because they are much lighter than our planet or have a lower mass. Learn more about the natural satellites.
The gravity of the planets established their delimitations of force between each of them, in this way also, our solar star established, due to its gravitational force, the trajectory with which the planets would draw their movement of translation and even rotation.
If we go back to the historical aspects of this force, we find that philosophers such as Aristotle thought that heavy objects fell to the ground faster than the rest. However, later experiments showed that this was not really the case.
The reason a feather falls more slowly than a bowling ball is due to air resistance., which acts in opposite direction as acceleration due to gravity. Thus, another type of force is involved that finally dismantles the theory proposed by Aristotle.
If the Sun is attracting the planets, why don't they end up falling down and burning up inside?
Gravity orders the orbits of the planets
This is a very good question for the logic we have been describing about the gravity of the planetsWell, in addition to falling toward the Sun, the planets are moving sideways in an orbit. For more information on how orbits work, see .
Let's say it's the same as having a weight on the end of a string. By turning it, you are constantly pulling it into your hand, just like the gravity of our sun star attracts the planets of the system towards its interior, however the lateral movement or its orbit keeps the sphere rotating.
If there were no such lateral movement of the planets, they would fall towards the center; and without the attraction towards the center, they would shoot out in a line straight line, which of course is exactly what happens if you let go of the thread, in the hypothetical case we talked about earlier.
All of us, with few exceptions, are accustomed to carrying out different daily activities without realizing the gravitational force, therefore, walking, jumping and walking on the Earth without much thought in the theory of gravity is very common. However, this is a fundamental force of physics that governs our universe, it should be noted that it is not the same in all the celestial bodies of the solar system, in the same way that it decreases drastically in the space vacuum until the scale or force descends to zero.
What is the gravity of the planets that make up our solar system?
Not all planets have the same gravitational force
As we've already explained, there are various factors that influence the gravity of planets. Below, we'll present some of the celestial bodies in our solar system and their gravitational pull. For more details about gravity on Mars, you can access live on Mars.
Gravity of the planet Mercury
Because the radius of the planet Mercury is only 2440 kilometers, and its mass is much lower than that of our planet Earth, it has a surface gravity of 3.7 m/s2. In other words, that 1 gram on Earth would be equivalent to 0,38 grams on the first planet in the Solar System. If you'd like to learn more about this planet, visit curiosities about Mercury.
Gravity of the planet Venus
The planet Venus, this occupies the second place of the closest planets to the sun, it is also the more like earth, in this sense, and due to its dense atmosphere, it has gravitational conditions similar to those of the Earth: the figure being 8.87 m / s2If you are interested in the planet Venus, you can find out more at your profile.
Gravity of the planet Mars
Although Mars is also a planet very similar to Earth in many aspects and characteristics, is smaller, less dense and with a very tenuous atmosphere. In this sense, its gravity is much lower than ours, being only 3.7 m/s2.
Gravity of the Planet Jupiter
Jupiter is a gas planet
This is one of the great and colossal monsters of our Solar System. East gigantic gas planet It has a massive mass, but no solid surface. However, in a hypothetical inner core, gravity is estimated to be enormous, at 24.8 m/s2. That is, almost three times the gravity of planet Earth. To learn more about the Jupiter satellites, access the link.
Gravity of the Planet Saturn
This is undoubtedly the second largest planet in the Solar System. The also giant Saturn is very massive but not very dense and gaseous, in this case its gravity is very similar to that of our planet earth: 10.44 m/s2.
