At what point does gravity stop working?
Gravity is a fundamental force of nature that exists everywhere in the universe. It is what keeps us grounded on Earth and governs the motion of celestial bodies. However, the strength of gravity decreases as one moves further away from massive objects like the Earth.
To understand at what point gravity stops working, it is important to grasp the concept of gravitational field and how it extends into space. The Earth’s gravitational field is a result of its mass, and it permeates space around it. This means that even in space, far away from the surface of the Earth, gravity is still present, albeit weaker.
The point at which gravity becomes significantly weaker can be difficult to pinpoint precisely since it gradually diminishes with distance. However, to give you an idea, the International Space Station (ISS) orbits at an altitude of about 250 miles above the Earth’s surface. At this height, the force of gravity is still about 90% of what it is on the Earth’s surface.
As you move further away from the Earth, such as the distance between Jackson and Nashville, which is roughly 125 miles, gravity continues to weaken but is still noticeable. However, the decrease in gravitational force becomes more pronounced the farther you move from the Earth’s center.
Beyond the distance of the ISS, gravity continues to exist but becomes increasingly weaker. Satellites and spacecraft that venture into higher orbits experience a reduced gravitational pull. For example, geostationary satellites orbit at an altitude of about 22,236 miles, where gravity is only about 3% of what it is on the Earth’s surface.
If we consider even greater distances, such as those encountered by deep space probes or astronauts traveling to the Moon or other planets, the gravitational pull from the Earth becomes negligible compared to the gravitational influence of other celestial bodies. At vast distances, the gravitational force of the Earth becomes nearly insignificant in comparison.
It is worth noting that while gravity weakens with distance, it never truly stops working. According to Newton’s law of universal gravitation, every object with mass exerts a gravitational force on every other object. However, the strength of this force diminishes rapidly as the distance between objects increases. This is why we often associate gravity with being “strong” on Earth but “weaker” in space.
Gravity never truly stops working as it extends infinitely into space. However, its strength diminishes as one moves further away from massive objects like the Earth. The exact point at which gravity becomes negligible depends on the distance from the center of the Earth and the influence of other celestial bodies.