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How Gravity Varies Across the Solar System
Surface gravity depends on a celestial body's mass and radius. Jupiter, the most massive planet, has 2.36 times Earth's surface gravity despite being a gas giant. Mars has only 0.377g due to its smaller mass. The Moon's gravity is just 0.166g, which is why Apollo astronauts could bounce across the lunar surface. These differences profoundly affect how much you would weigh on each world.
Weight vs Mass in Space
Your mass (the amount of matter in your body) stays constant everywhere in the universe. Weight, however, is the force of gravity pulling on your mass. On Jupiter, a 150-pound person would feel 354 pounds of gravitational force. On Pluto, that same person would weigh only about 10.7 pounds. Astronauts in orbit experience weightlessness not because gravity is absent, but because they are in continuous free fall.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006, but it remains a fascinating celestial body with known surface gravity (0.071g). It is included here because of its cultural significance and because people are curious about how extreme low gravity would feel. On Pluto, a 150-pound person would weigh only about 10.7 pounds.
Jupiter's surface gravity is 2.36 times Earth's, meaning a 150-lb person would feel like they weigh 354 lbs. While uncomfortable, this level of gravity alone would not be fatal. However, Jupiter has no solid surface, and its atmosphere of hydrogen and helium with extreme pressures and temperatures makes it uninhabitable.
Astronauts appear weightless because the International Space Station is in constant free fall around Earth, not because gravity is absent. At the ISS altitude of about 250 miles, gravity is still about 90% of what it is on Earth's surface. The station and everything inside it fall toward Earth at the same rate, creating the sensation of zero gravity.
Surface gravity is calculated as g = GM/r2, where G is the gravitational constant, M is the body's mass, and r is its radius. For simplicity, surface gravity is often expressed as a ratio relative to Earth (where Earth = 1.0). These ratios are what this calculator uses to determine your weight on other worlds.