Michael McMain

5 Hour Astronomy
th

Acceleration Due to Gravity around the Solar System

Everyone knows that acceleration due to gravity on Earth is 9.8 m/ s 2 , but is that true?
Calculating acceleration due to gravity (which for my sake will be referred to as gravity) is a

relatively simple process. The equation is a=

Gm
, where G is the universal gravitational
r2

constant, m is the mass of the planet, and r is the radius at a given point. The universal
gravitational constant was discovered in 1798 by Henry Cavendish through experimentation, and
is still held true today. While it is true that the acceleration due to gravity on Earth is 9.8 m/ s 2 ,
it is not 9.8 everywhere. Likewise with every other planet. This paper will go over the difference
in acceleration due to gravity on all of the planets and what it means for us.

Earth
9.86

9.85

9.85
9.84
9.83
9.82
9.81

Acceleration due to Gravity (m/s/s)

9.80
9.79 9.79
9.78
9.77
9.76
9.75

Figure 1. Earth
Starting with our most familiar planet, Earth, Figure 1 shows the change in gravity on our
planet. It is easy to see that there is a lot more fluctuation than we normally think. On the left is
the acceleration due to gravity at the equator, and on the right is at the poles. There is a total
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Michael McMain
5 Hour Astronomy
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difference of 0.06 m/ s 2 across Earth. This is very fortunate for us, because it does not cause
any major differences from traveling around Earth. This is among the smallest differences in the
solar system, but does show that gravity is not a constant all over. These values are entirely
dependent on the radius. Gravity and the radius are inversely related. As radius goes down,
gravity goes up. The radius of Earth at the poles is slightly smaller than the radius at the equator,
which causes this slight change in gravity.
Unfortunately Mercury and Venus did not have any recorded difference between
equatorial radius and polar radius. Because of this, there is theoretically no difference in gravity
on those planets, however I am sure there is. There is simply a lack of knowledge on these
planets. Maybe in the future, NASA will be able to get accurate calculations of the radii. Gravity
was still calculated and was found to be 3.70 and 8.86 m/ s 2 respectively.

Mars
3.78

3.76

3.76

3.74

Acceleration due to Gravity (m/s/s)

3.72
3.71
3.70

3.68

Figure 2. Mars
Mars is the next planet in the solar system. Figure two shows the change in gravity on
Mars. This has the lowest difference that was calculated at 0.05 m/ s 2 . The values found
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Michael McMain
5 Hour Astronomy
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means that in order to live on Mars, there would need to be some artificial gravity created to live
as we do on Earth. However, that artificial gravity can be relatively constant and will not need
many adjustments around the planet, because gravity is relatively constant on Mars.

Jupiter
29.00
28.33

28.00
27.00
26.00

Acceleration due to Gravity (m/s/s)

25.00

24.77

24.00
23.00
22.00

Figure 3. Jupiter
Figure 3 shows the acceleration due to gravity on Jupiter. Like the other two figures, the
value on the left was found using the equatorial radius and the value on the right was found using
the polar radius. This is by far the largest change in gravity among the planets in our solar
system. A change of 3.56 m/ s 2 is so drastic, it is almost as large as the actual acceleration due
to gravity on Mars. It is also so large, at about three times our gravity. This means that there
would need to be major adjustments when going around Jupiter. This huge acceleration is mainly
due to its large mass. Its radius was not big enough to counteract it. However the radius at the
equator is about 6% less than at the poles. This may seem small, but at 71,492 km, 6% is still
about 4,290 km, which is massive.
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Michael McMain
5 Hour Astronomy
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Saturn
14.00
12.83
12.00
10.44

10.00
8.00

Acceleration due to Gravity (m/s/s)

6.00
4.00
2.00
0.00

Figure 4. Saturn
Figure 4, above, displays the different accelerations due to gravity on Saturn. On the left
is at the equator and on the right is at the poles. This is a relatively large change, but not as large
as in Figure 3. Gravity at the equator of Saturn is very similar to our own, only being about 0.64
m/ s 2 larger, humans would not have to adjust as much on this planet. The reason it is so
similar is because while it does have a much larger mass, the radius evens it out. The ratio
between mass and radius is similar to Earths. However, the change in gravity from the equator
to the poles is still 2.39 m/ s 2 . This means if humans lived at the equator and the poles for a
long period of time, those living at the poles would be a lot shorter because of a constant larger
force pulling them towards the core.

Michael McMain
5 Hour Astronomy
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Uranus
9.40
9.30

9.29

9.20
9.10

Acceleration due to Gravity (m/s/s)

9.00
8.90

8.86

8.80
8.70
8.60

Figure 5. Uranus
Shown above is the different accelerations due to gravity on Uranus. Gravity at the poles
is even closer to average gravity on Earth, being only 0.51 m/ s 2 lower. This means that if
humans were to colonize Uranus, there would not need to be many adjustments for gravity,
humans would just get slightly taller. With a difference of 0.43 m/ s 2 from polar to equatorial
gravity, it is relatively small. This shows that the radius at the poles is similar to the radius at the
equator.

Michael McMain
5 Hour Astronomy
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Neptune
11.60
11.53

11.50
11.40
11.30

Acceleration due to Gravity (m/s/s)

11.20
11.14

11.10
11.00
10.90

Figure 6. Neptune
Figure 6 shows the difference in gravity on Neptune. With a difference of 0.39 m/ s 2 ,
Neptune is among the lowest differences among the planets. This tells us the radius is only
slightly larger at the equator than at the poles. Gravity on Neptune is similar to gravity on Earth,
and the difference is also relatively small, so there would not need to be many adjustments for
going around different parts of Neptune.
Looking at all of the graphs, it is easy to see that the acceleration due to gravity at the
equator is always smaller than at the poles. This suggests that the radius at the equator is always
larger than the radius at the poles. This information is surely related to the way the planets have
formed and could be used to find out more about our planets. Shown in Appendix A is a sample
calculation for Earth to show what information was used and how.

Michael McMain
5 Hour Astronomy
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Appendix A: Earth Sample Calculations

a=

Gm
r2

Figure 7. Acceleration due to Gravity Formula

Shown above is the formula used to calculate the acceleration due to gravity on a planet.
In the normal equation, there are two masses considered, one of each object being attracted to
each other. However, because the mass of the planets is so much larger than the mass of a human
on that planet, the mass of the human can be eliminated completely and have no effect on the
number.
a=

6.67e-115.97e24
63781002
a=9.79 m/s

Figure 8. Equatorial Gravity on Earth

The mass of Earth is 5.97e24 kg and the radius from the equator is 6.38e6 meters. This
results in an acceleration due to gravity of 9.79 m/s 2 at the equator.
a=

6.67e-115.97e24
63568002
a=9.85 m/s 2

Figure 9. Polar Gravity on Earth

Same as Figure 8, but the polar radius of earth is 6.36e6 meters, which causes a slightly
higher acceleration due to gravity.

Michael McMain
5 Hour Astronomy
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Works Cited
Grayzeck, Ed. "Lunar and Planetary Science." Space Science Data Coordinate Archive. National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
<http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/>.