COSI Columbus | Explore Space - Gravity
Experience Gravity in Space

Gravity

How much would you weigh on Saturn? Less than here on Earth! Being a gas giant planet, Saturn is much bigger than Earth, but it’s less dense. This contributes to Saturn’s smaller gravitational acceleration, which means you would weigh less on the ringed planet.

Here on Earth, we tend to ask “How much do I weigh?” What we should say is “What amount of gravitational pull is exerted on me?” or “What is my mass?” Mass is a measure of the quantity of matter in an object. Your mass remains the same from planet to planet, while your weight changes.

Because weight is a result of gravity, more gravity means more weight. Weight is the amount of gravitational pull on an object’s mass. Gravity is also related to the mass of the object, so the more mass an object has the more gravity it has.


Weight Calculator
pounds
Mercury:

Enter the weight in pounds you want to convert (as measured here on Earth). Click the "gravitate" button to calculate the weight of the same mass on the planets to the right.

Some Earth weights:
bowling ball:  16 pounds
medium dog: 35 pounds
hamburger:  .25 pounds

Venus:
the moon:
Mars:
Jupiter:
Saturn:
Uranus:
Neptune:
Pluto:


Resource Links

Theory of Gravity
What is Gravity?

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