gravitationen

Gravitationen is the natural phenomenon by which bodies with mass attract one another. In English, this is usually called gravitation or gravity. In classical physics it manifests as the weight of objects on Earth and the motion of planets, moons, and satellites. The strength of the attraction between two point masses is described by Newton's law of universal gravitation: F = G m1 m2 / r^2, where G is the gravitational constant, approximately 6.674×10^-11 N·m^2/kg^2. The gravitational field around a mass can be described by field lines and by potential energy U(r) = -G m1 m2 / r. Near Earth's surface this produces the acceleration g ≈ 9.81 m/s^2.

Historically, gravitation was formulated to explain both celestial and terrestrial motion. Kepler's laws described planetary orbits, and Newton synthesized them into a universal law in the 17th century. In the 20th century, Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity reframed gravitation as the curvature of spacetime produced by mass-energy, extending beyond the Newtonian picture in strong fields and at high velocities.

Empirical support includes the deflection of light by the Sun, gravitational redshift, and, more recently, gravitational waves detected from merging black holes and neutron stars. Gravitational interactions govern orbital dynamics, tides, and the structure of galaxies and the universe at large, and they are essential for satellite navigation and space exploration, where relativistic corrections are routinely applied.

Gravitation remains a central topic in physics, linking classical mechanics, cosmology, and ongoing attempts at a quantum theory of gravity, with observations of gravitational lensing, dark matter, and cosmic expansion continuing to inform the field.