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Straight. If gravity did not pull a planet into an elliptical orbit, momentum would cause it to continue straight ahead at the same speed it had been moving. If the Sun's gravity were to magically disappear, the Earth would fly off into space at 67,000 miles per hour.

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Q: What direction a planet would travel if gravity did not affect it?
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How do you calculate time to travel and weight on planet?

The first thing is that you calculae you weight. Then it depends on the gravity the planet of your choice. Say planet Saturn. The Saturn planets gravity is 38%. So if you weigh 100 lbs, then you would multiply 100 by .38. Then your total would be 108.00 lbs.


How does gravity affect planets?

Each planet is attracted by the Sun's gravity. A planet has its own forward speed, which causes it to tend to travel at constant speed in a straight line. The Sun's gravity pulls at right angles to the planet's forward speed, causing it to curve towards the Sun all the time. Isaac Newton proved that the curvature in the path followed is equivalent to acceleration towards the centre of curvature - the Sun in this case. He also proved that the amount of acceleration (curvature) is exactly explained by the law of gravity and the laws of motion.


Inertia makes a plant tend to travel in a straight line but what keeps it in orbit?

Gravity keeps a planet in orbit. Inertia tries to make the planet move in a straight line. The balance between the two makes the planet orbit a sun.


Do global winds affect planes?

The Jet-stream certainly does. Planes can use the jet-stream to reduce the amount of fuel it takes to travel from one side of the planet to the other. This is because - so long as the jet-stream is flowing in the same direction the plane wants to travel - it can 'push' the plane forward, which uses less fuel.


Why is one year shorter on planets close to the sun and longer on outer planets like Uranus?

It comes down to 3 main factors - associated with centrifugal/centripetal force plus gravity: Firstly, is simply the much smaller path required for a planet closer to the sun to travel in its orbit of the sun. Naturally, this will mean that (assuming the speeds of travel through space to be the same),the lesser distance to cover will result in a shorter year. Second factor: In order to prevent gravity from pulling a body closer to the sun in a collision course, the outward force/momentum propelling it away must be more marked. Hence the revolving object must travel faster through the air in a more outward direction as if 'away' from the object it is orbiting. Third factor: The size of the planet will also affect the overall 'drawing power' between the 2 heavenly bodies. If Both objects were large, the overall gravity would cause that they close in on one another. If the planets close in were as large as Uranus, there would be certain collision unless the velocity through space of the large planet was many times that of a smaller planet at such distance from the sun. If Uranus replaced Mercury, for instance, the planet would have to travel at some speed many times faster than that of the speeds of those smaller planets in closer to the sun, and a large planet that close might affect the stability of the sun's traverse through space.

Related questions

What is the affect of weight on distance paper rockets travel?

it is the gravity affects the weight


If gravity did not affect the path of a horizontally thrown ball what would happen to the ball?

travel horizontally


How do you calculate time to travel and weight on planet?

The first thing is that you calculae you weight. Then it depends on the gravity the planet of your choice. Say planet Saturn. The Saturn planets gravity is 38%. So if you weigh 100 lbs, then you would multiply 100 by .38. Then your total would be 108.00 lbs.


Does electricity always travel down?

No, electrical charge does not interact with gravity.


Does the shape of the volcano affect the direction the eruptions travel?

i dont think so. So the answer is probably no.......


How does gravity affect the launch and travel of a satellite?

It has to get up to 7km a second to get out of earth's orbit, then it orbits around earth.


How does gravity affect planets?

Each planet is attracted by the Sun's gravity. A planet has its own forward speed, which causes it to tend to travel at constant speed in a straight line. The Sun's gravity pulls at right angles to the planet's forward speed, causing it to curve towards the Sun all the time. Isaac Newton proved that the curvature in the path followed is equivalent to acceleration towards the centre of curvature - the Sun in this case. He also proved that the amount of acceleration (curvature) is exactly explained by the law of gravity and the laws of motion.


Do you fall faster when higher?

no gravity pulls you at a steady speed. however air presure and movement WILL affect your speed of travel.


What direction must you travel when you leave the South Pole to go to any other continent?

From this southern-most point on planet earth, to any anywhere, you must travel north.


Where do the thrust gravity lift and drag vector arrows go?

Thrust would point in the direction of travel. Drag would counter thrust, so generally in a direction 180 degrees from the thrust vector's direction. The lift vector would point in the direction (generally) away from the center of the earth. The gravity vector would point toward the center of the earth.


Without sun's gravity would earth go into space in a straight line or a circle?

For the purposes of the argument, I am assuming that the earth already has a velocity (Speed and Direction). Any mass in space (i.e. a low gravity environment), would travel in a straight line until it comes into proximity of another object of sufficient mass.Basically, the earth would travel in a straight line until it came across another star, at which point it would change direction.If you want to think in bigger contexts, you could say that the earth will travel in a massive orbit around the galaxy since the galaxy's core is of sufficient mass to affect the direction of travel of earth.


Inertia makes a plant tend to travel in a straight line but what keeps it in orbit?

Gravity keeps a planet in orbit. Inertia tries to make the planet move in a straight line. The balance between the two makes the planet orbit a sun.