How Much You'd Weigh on the other Planets?

Welcome to another exciting exploration brought to you by the FreeAstroScience team! Ever wondered how your weight might differ on various planets in the vast universe? Your mass remains constant, but your weight, influenced by gravity's pull, would differ significantly. Let's plunge into the cosmic scale and see how much you'd weigh on other celestial bodies in our solar system.

Understanding Mass and Weight: A Cosmic Perspective

While mass remains a consistent measure throughout the Universe, weight is subject to gravitational acceleration, fluctuating based on the celestial body you're on. For instance, a person weighing 100 kg on Earth would experience a different weight on any other planet in our solar system.

The Weight Formula: Planet Mass and Radius

Weight is influenced by a planet's mass and radius. The weight increases with the planet's mass and decreases as the planet's size increases. This relationship provides us with an understanding of how our weight would change across the various celestial bodies in the solar system.

Down to the Moon: A Lunar Weight Comparison

Remember the footage of the Apollo missions, with astronauts joyfully bounding across the lunar surface? The Moon, being less massive and smaller than Earth, has only 16% of our planet's gravity. Hence, a 100 kg person on Earth would only weigh a mere 16 kg on the Moon!

The Inner Planets: Weighing Less than on Earth

The inner planets of the solar system, smaller and less massive than Earth, have a lower gravitational acceleration. An Earthling weighing 100 kg would almost retain their weight on Venus (at 91 kg), but would shrink to 38 kg on both Mercury and Mars.

The Majestic Gas Giants: Balancing Mass and Size

The outer solar system's gas giants, though more massive than Earth, are also bigger. This balance results in a gravitational acceleration not vastly different from Earth's. Intriguingly, a 100 kg person would weigh 234 kg on Jupiter, 106 kg on Saturn, 92 kg on Uranus (even less than on Earth!), and 119 kg on Neptune. On the small and less massive Pluto, we would tip the scales at a mere 6 kg!

The Sun: A Massive Weight Shift

Lastly, let's consider the Sun. Despite its large size compared to the planets, its immense mass leads to a 100 kg Earthling weighing a staggering 2707 kg on the solar photosphere. Imagine that!