How Does Gravity Cause Planets to Orbit

Stars?

In the everyday world, gravity is the force that makes objects fall downward. In
astronomy, gravity is also the force that causes planets to move in near-circular
orbits around stars. At first sight, it is not obvious how the same force can give rise
to such seemingly different behaviors. To see why this is, it is necessary to
understand how an external force affects a moving object.

The Force of Gravity

Gravity is a force that acts between any two objects. If one object is significantly
more massive than the other, then gravity will pull the less massive object toward
the more massive one. A planet, for example, will experience a force pulling it
toward a star. In the hypothetical case where the two objects are initially
stationary with respect to each other, the planet will start to move in the direction
of the star. In other words it will fall toward the star, just as everyday experience
of gravity would suggest.

The Effect of Perpendicular Motion

The key to understanding orbital motion is to realize that a planet is never
stationary relative to its star but moving at high speed. For example, the Earth is
traveling at approximately 108,000 kilometers per hour (67,000 miles per hour) in
its orbit around the sun. The direction of this motion is essentially perpendicular
to the direction of gravity, which acts along a line from the planet to the sun. While
gravity pulls the planet toward the star, its large perpendicular velocity carries it
sideways around the star. The result is an orbit.
Centripetal Force
In physics, any kind of circular motion can be described in terms of centripetal
force -- a force that acts toward the center. In the case of an orbit, this force is
provided by gravity. A more familiar example is an object whirled around on the
end of a piece of string. In this case, the centripetal force comes from the string
itself. The object is pulled toward the center, but its perpendicular speed keeps it
moving in a circle. In terms of basic physics, the situation is no different from the
case of a planet orbiting a star.

Circular and Noncircular Orbits

Most planets move on approximately circular orbits, as a consequence of the way
planetary systems are formed. The essential feature of a circular orbit is that the

direction of motion is always perpendicular to the line joining the planet to the
central star. This does not have to be the case, however. Comets, for example,
often move on noncircular orbits that are highly elongated. Such orbits can still be
explained by gravity, although the theory is more complicated than for circular
orbits.