gravity
Latest about gravity
![Artist's impression of an astronaut in space orbiting a planet with a moon in the background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/izZeEiFhdJRHsFtDztv263-320-80.jpg)
Is there an 'up' and a 'down' in space?
By Amanda Heidt published
Any object with mass distorts the space-time continuum, which we perceive as gravity pulling us "down" toward that object's center.
![A spiral of asteroids swirl around a central point of light in space](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nhFrCpSTZUcMyAVPfgb7RC-320-80.jpg)
Earth may have debris from alien star systems trapped in its orbit, new research suggests
By Robert Lea published
A new study questions if our planet could capture rocky and icy visitors from outside the solar system — and how scientists could spot them.
![Abstract artist's impression of an energy vortex.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ehN24PRLwVyXe7rcHY952f-320-80.jpg)
Gravity can transform into light, mind-bending physics paper suggests
By Paul Sutter published
In the early universe, gravity may have been capable of creating light, a new theoretical paper finds.
![An image of countless swirling galaxies from the James Webb Space Telescope's first deep field image, next to a color portrait of Albert Einstein's face](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rGvNoJmeX7jJUdH8xtpLTL-320-80.jpg)
10 discoveries that prove Einstein was right about the universe — and 1 that proves him wrong
By Brandon Specktor published
Albert Einstein's theories of relativity have been proven to be true time and again in the more than 100 years following their publication.
![A statue of Leonardo Da Vinci in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PWhuk3af4piPcTsFXMzhxk-320-80.jpg)
Da Vinci understood key aspect of gravity centuries before Einstein, lost sketches reveal
By Ben Turner published
Sketches found inside Leonardo da Vinci's sketchbooks, show that he had already grasped the essence of Einstein’s 1907 ‘Equivalence Principle’ centuries before the physicist.
![An artist's interpretation of what Planet Nine might look like.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gQ2b2e5uNNGxSeVL83HcAg-320-80.jpg)
Elusive Planet Nine could be surrounded by hot moons, and that's how we'd find it
By Harry Baker published
The mysterious Planet Nine may have up to 20 moons that could be superheated by the hypothetical planet's gravitational pull, making them easy to spot.
![Machholz 1 as imaged by NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) spacecraft.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Wo3568UYUbzRVfwXDdQBoN-320-80.jpg)
Gigantic 'alien' comet spotted heading straight for the sun
By Ben Turner published
Scientists think it may have come from another solar system
![A woman's hand showing the passage of time as roman number clock.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/s55m2QyqPjWh82uTLak9eC-320-80.jpg)
Does gravity make you age more slowly?
By Joshua A. Krisch published
If you're at sea level, or you age more slowly or faster than someone at the top of Mount Everest?
![A close-up image of the galaxy merger Arp-Madore 417-391 that was recently taken by the Hubble space telescope. A near-perfect ring of stars has been created by the gravitational forces of the massive cosmic collision.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Q3PnF2b6VuA669PGnULNGR-320-80.jpg)
Magnificent ring of stars captured by Hubble is the result of two galaxies in head-on collision
By Harry Baker published
A pair of galaxies in the constellation Eridanus have been warped and twisted into a colossal, glowing ring of stars by the intense gravitational forces between them following a chaotic merger.
![The Hyades star cluster (pink) curls across the sky amid well-known constellations (green). The cluster is at the center of a controversial new study proposing an alternative to Newton's theory of gravity.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q6kAKgt5FBzq8m5EPJoW5e-320-80.jpg)
Lopsided star cluster may disprove Newton and Einstein, controversial new study claims
By Tom Metcalfe published
An uneven distribution of stars in several nearby clusters may offer evidence of MOND – a controversial theory of gravity that disputes Newton and rejects the existence of dark matter.
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