How Does ‘Gravity’ Affect the Movement of Planets?

Gravity is like a invisible string that pulls planets toward the Sun. Imagine you're spinning around on a swing, if the rope suddenly broke, you'd fly off in a straight line. Planets are kind of like swings: gravity keeps them from flying away and makes them follow circular paths instead.

Take the quiz →

Examples

Gravity pulls you down to Earth, just like it keeps the Moon from flying off into space.
Imagine gravity as invisible strings, connecting planets to the Sun and keeping them in their orbits.
If gravity were gone, planets would zoom straight out of their paths, never to return.

Ask a question

Discussion

Recent activity

Categories: Space · gravity,planets,solar system