if there is no gravity in space how do the planets stay where they are?

Answer 1

There is gravity in space. First you need to understand what gravity is. Everything in the Universe is attracted to everything else. (Don't go there) The force depends on how big things are and how far apart they are.

You and the Earth attract each other. Because the Earth is much bigger than you are, you only notice the fact that it is pulling you towards it. This gives you what you understand as weight. If you went far away from the Earth, you wouldn't be attracted to it so much.

The moon and the Earth are attracted to each other. However, the moon is moving at speed and would have a tendancy to fly away. Because these two forces are balanced, the moon stays in a more or less circular orbit around the Earth.

In the same way, planets, asteroids and all the other things flying around the sun are in balanced orbits with gravity and the tendancy to fly away balanced.

If you were on the space shuttle, you'd find yourself subject to tremendous forces during take off. However, once you are in orbit around the Earth, the forces are balanced so you become weightless. Gravity is still there though, otherwise the shuttle would fly off into outer space.

Answer 2

Gravity from the Sun is what keeps the planets in orbit around the Sun, just as gravity from the Earth is what keeps the Moon and satellites and the space shuttle in orbit around the Earth. The reason the Moon doesn't hit the Earth (and the Earth and other planets don't hit the Sun) is that the Moon is moving fast enough to miss the Earth.

If you were to stand on Mt. Everest and throw a rock (and forget completely about air resistance), it would travel a certain distance before hitting the Earth. As you throw the rock faster, it travels farther. Eventually, if you throw the rock fast enough, it travels all the way around the Earth and hits you in the back. It is still falling towards the Earth, but the surface of the Earth (because the Earth is round) is falling away just as fast. The rock is now in orbit. Continue throwing it faster and faster and the orbit gets bigger (farther from the Earth) on the far side of the Earth, but still comes around to hit you in the back. Eventually you throw the rock at what is called the "escape velocity" and it breaks away from the gravity of the Earth and never falls back.

Answer 3

If you threw a bunch of magnets up into the air, some of the closer ones would tend to stick to one another. The same thing happens in space only with gravity instead of magnetism; gravity pulls planets and stars together. The Earth and all the planets, dwarf planets, asteroids, comets, and dust specks circle our sun because of the sun’s gravity. If the sun just vanished, everything from the planets to the dust specks would go hurling off into empty space until they passed by and became attracted to some other source of gravity.

Answer 4

There is gravity in space, just less because you are farther away from the object. Every object has gravity, including a pen in your hand and the computer screen you look at - it's just far less gravity because it's such a small mass (in comparison to celestial bodies like planets and stars) Stars have generally the greatest gravity (outside of black holes) planets are pulled towards this gravity and stay near the star, however they stay in their orbit because they go around and are trying to use that force to escape the orbit (much like if you fill a bucket with water and then spin it in a circle upside down, the water stays in the bucket because of the force)

Answer 5

Gravity is a force between two objects in space . If suppose there were no objects in the space like the planets, sun, the stars and etc. then there would have been no gravity.

Answer 6

Gravity acts on all products contained in the universe including people. the reason we do not flow flying off to area is because the gravity from the moon, solar and different planets does not conquer th gravity of Earth. this would all be shown utilising the regulation of commonly used Gravitation. F=G(m1m2/r^2) F= the gorgeous stress G= The gravitational consistent 6.67x10^ -11 m1= Mass of the first element of mass m2= Mass of the 2d element of mass r= the area between both element 1000's. because earth is closer than the moon or the solar, it pulls on us a lot more effective than different celestial bodies.

Answer 7

There is Gravity in Space .. The feeling of weightlessness isn't No Gravity .. All Objects are held in place by a gravitational field..
the moon round earth .. Earth around the sun..

Answer 8

The planets experience gravity from the Sun.

Answer 9

gravity is a force that attracts two masses to each other. There is gravity in space, which is why the earth orbits the sun -- or why the moon orbits the earth. If there was no gravity there would be nothing keeping it from flying off into space.

Answer 10

well, young feller, they stay there cuz they want to. Most of them have a mind of their own, though some of them have two minds, so that one can mind the store.

Most folks will tell you all about 'gravity' and such, but actually gravity is just the self-force that every intelligent particle in the universe has that sends out a hello to all the others. Most of them are relatives, you see, and they just want to get together and have a visit.

;-D I am not sure whether they drink tea or coffee when they get together, but I am sure it is usually a hot mix of some kind. Most of them have come a long way and they are plumb chilled to the core.