If i threw somthing into space and there where no planets in the way..Would it continue on its path FOREVER?

Question

just nothing in the way..zero gravity, no atmosphere and such and such

Answer 1

Yes -- it will continue to go forever unless it happens to smash into an object such as a star or planet, or collide with a meteoroid.

But there are a couple of misconceptions here.

First, there is always gravity -- you can't get away from it. The path of the object is determined by gravity. You might ask -- but aren't astronauts weightless because there is no gravity? Astronauts do experience gravity, but it is the same gravity experienced by their spacecraft; so they appear weightless within the vehicle. Without gravity, people in the space shuttle couldn't orbit around the earth. Even if a spacecraft is plummeting towards earth, the people inside would feel weightless until the craft is slowed down by the atmosphere (and eventually by the ground or the ocean).

Second, space is not empty. The density is incredibly low in space within the solar system, and even lower in interstellar space, and even lower in intergalactic space. The densities there are lower than any vacuum we can create on earth. But still, there is a very low density of particles (such as individual atoms), and these will collide with the object and have an effect which is almost infinitesimal but non-zero.

-- added later:
At first, the collisions with atoms in space would be like bugs on a car -- a lot of collisions on the front windshield, and very few on the back. After enough of these collisions with other particles, the object would eventually tend to come to rest relative to the gas around it. At that point, particles would still collide with it, but as many would come from one direction as another. Note that I say "at rest relative to the gas around it"; you can't really say "at rest", because that depends on your frame of reference. If it came to this state of "relative rest" within the disk of the galaxy, that means it would be orbiting around the center of the galaxy just like the gas around it. (But things could still happen to disturb it. Maybe it comes to "relative rest" in an area that is beginning to form a new star/planet system, or maybe it is disturbed by a nearby supernova eruption.)

Answer 2

Yes. However, there are very few places (even in space) where there is absolutely nothing affecting the ball. If you were on the space station (for example) and, during a space walk, threw the ball in the same direction as the station's orbit, the ball would be on an orbit that is ever so slightly higher than the station. Even with a very good throwing arm, you can throw the ball at only 100 mph (that is around 0.044 km/s). The station orbits at roughly 17,000 mph. To escape Earth's gravity, the ball would need to reach at least 24,000 mph (even a bit more than that). So your ball is still in orbit around the Earth. At the station's "altitude", there are still molecules of air. The ball would eventually slow down (not very fast, but still) and eventually its orbit would decay. The station itself has that problem and must be boosted back up every once in a while. Even further out, there is the gravity from the Sun. There is also the "solar wind" of charged particles, the pressure of the Sun's light... Outside the solar system, there would be the cosmic rays from the Galaxy... It is never really empty out there.

Answer 3

Depends where you threw it from.
For example, If you throw it from Earth (or anywhere near Earth, even if above the atmosphere), it will curve as it is affected by Earth's gravity.

If you do not throw it fast enough, it will eventually fall on Earth, even if you threw it in the opposite direction.

If you are far enough from Earth, it will still be affected by the Sun's gravity. If you are anywhere along Earth's orbit and if you throw it will little speed, it will follow an orbit around the Sun, similar to Earth's orbit.

If you throw it fast enough (in the same direction that you are orbitting the sun), then it may escape the Sun's gravity and never come back (but it will still curve on its way out, because of the Sun's gravity.

In all cases, as long as it does not hit anything, it will continue on its path forever, even if its velocity (speed and direction) is constantly changed by the various gravity fields that affect the space around the "something".

If you really find a place with zero gravity over a large area (e.g., a void between galaxies), then it will continue on a straight line at a constant speed.

Answer 4

According to Newton's laws, and object set in motion will remain in motion in the absence of a net force.

So, if nothing were around to act on it, the object would continue on a straight path forever.

Of course in reality there are planets and massive objects around to exert a force so if you really want your object to not come back down you'd have to throw it with enough force for it to reach escape velocity and then either establish a stable orbit around the Earth, or the sun, or something else.

If given enough time though, I think it will eventually succumb to the gravitational force of something.

Answer 5

In actual space there is an extremely fine spread of atoms (only a few per cubic metre), so you would eventually slow down after a few billion years.

In a perfect vaccuum, though, with nothing at all, yes it would go forever.

Answer 6

no, if you assume there are no planets, moons, stars, any large objects with massive gravity anywhere near it that is.

it would continue for trillions of years. but space isnt a complete vacuum. there are still atoms sparsely scattered throughout space. so every time it came into contact with one it would have a very very slight amount of energy taken away from it. so eventually it would stop, but it would take a very long time.

Answer 7

Yes, assuming no other forces acting on it, it would keep moving in the same direction and at the same speed forever.

Answer 8

There is a VERY small amount of friction in space, just atoms rubbing as you travel. Your also not condisering dust clouds and black holes.

Answer 9

Yes it would continue to go on forever.

Answer 10

theoretically yes--definately. That is of course assuming that the universe is an infinite space..