gravity
Latest about gravity
![An artist's impression of exoplanets orbiting a red supergiant. The bright light in the distance represents a faraway star of a similar size.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UZJUJioPMPA2HfZM7TwvrU-320-80.jpg)
Red supergiant stars 'dance' because they have too much gas
By Harry Baker published
The light they produce wobbles around, making them hard to pin down.
![Comet 67P_Churyumov-Gerasimenko_European Space Agency](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jrSniLCMadEXQpvTWfLAJF-320-80.jpg)
Why are asteroids and comets such weird shapes?
By JoAnna Wendel published
Small bodies like asteroids and comets are shaped more by their geological makeup than by gravity, which molds planets and moons into spheres.
![An artist's impression of the planets in the solar system, not to scale.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NBxa9vuaKBPy4HPHH7x5MV-320-80.jpg)
What's the maximum number of planets that could orbit the sun?
By Harry Baker published
If a super-advanced civilization had to ability to engineer the solar system from scratch, how many planets could they squeeze around the sun?
![In the 2022 sci-fi movie "Moonfall," the Space Shuttle Endeavor docks at the International Space Station while the moon hurtles toward Earth.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CWTVahJy4eK4U5xNbQFgV6-320-80.jpg)
Could the moon ever be pushed from orbit, like in 'Moonfall'?
By Mindy Weisberger published
What would it take to dislodge the moon from its orbit and send it on a collision course with Earth?
![An artist's depiction of colliding black holes causing ripples in the fabric of space-time.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ASznUeSXgLNc6w59w7MD6k-320-80.jpeg)
Curvature of space-time measured using 'atomic fountain'
By Rahul Rao published
A group of physicists has measured gravity using the effects of time dilation — the slowing of time imparted by increased velocity or gravitational force — on atoms.
![The Leo I dwarf galaxy has an enormous black hole at its center.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NtAfktz6TYk8r8ctNf3yQn-320-80.jpg)
Giant black hole inside a tiny satellite galaxy defies explanation
By Tereza Pultarova published
A tiny galaxy orbiting at the outskirts of the Milky Way appears to have a giant black hole at its center, comparable to that of the much larger Milky Way itself, and scientists don't know why.
![Time dilation refers to the idea that time is relative and passes at different rates for different observers, depending on certain factors.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4tHnC8kqM9xPeq9eqM5WJk-320-80.jpg)
What is time dilation?
By Andrew May published
Time dilation refers to the fact that time passes at different rates for different observers, depending on certain variables.
![Artwork showing the planets orbiting the sun (from inner to outer): Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wiCxuWfzL2n3dqEYmytHMb-320-80.jpg)
Why do the planets in the solar system orbit on the same plane?
By JoAnna Wendel published
About 4.5 billion years ago, the solar system was just a giant, spinning cloud of gas and dust. Today, it's flat. Here's how that happened.
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