{"id":989,"date":"2010-09-29T09:08:00","date_gmt":"2010-09-29T07:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kids.esa.int\/the_moon_the_earth_and_gravity\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T00:34:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T22:34:34","slug":"the_moon_the_earth_and_gravity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kids.esa.int\/pl\/the_moon_the_earth_and_gravity\/","title":{"rendered":"The Moon, the Earth, and gravity"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What would happen if an aspiring villain, a scientist who\u2019s a little too old and deaf, and a group of clumsy and spiteful assistants ventured into the construction of rockets and anti-gravitational weapons? You can find out in Despicable Me, Universal Pictures\u2019 3D animated feature coming out in cinemas on 15 October. In the film, our odd heroes struggle with the Moon, its mass, and the force of gravity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

So let\u2019s just have a little talk about these key concepts in order to understand better what happens in the film. Have you ever seen a fruit or object falling from a tree? And have you ever tried to throw a stone and watch it fall? This force that \u2018brings down\u2019 things is called the force of gravity.<\/p>\n

\"Gru\"
Gru<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We are constantly attracted to the Earth by its gravitational force , That is the reason why we always keep our feet on the ground. We don\u2019t need to be in direct contact with Earth to be attracted by it however; not being too far away is just enough for the same forces to act. This is why our own planet orbits around the Sun, and the Moon orbits around the Earth.<\/p>\n

Si\u0142a grawitacyjna zale\u017cy od masy cia\u0142a. Si\u0142a grawitacyjna mi\u0119dzy dwoma cia\u0142ami jest wprost proporcjonalna do ich mas i bardzo szybko maleje, gdy tylko je od siebie oddalamy. W rzeczywisto\u015bci my r\u00f3wnie\u017c przyci\u0105gamy inne cia\u0142a \u2018nasz\u0105\u2019 si\u0142\u0105 grawitacyjn\u0105, ale jeste\u015bmy zbyt lekcy, by dostrzec jej skutki! S\u0142o\u0144ce jest jednak tak du\u017ce, \u017ce potrafi utrzyma\u0107 nas blisko siebie, nawet gdy znajduje si\u0119 tak daleko. Ksi\u0119\u017cyc r\u00f3wnie\u017c wywiera swoj\u0105 si\u0142\u0119 grawitacyjn\u0105; poniewa\u017c jest mniejszy i l\u017cejszy od Ziemi, gdyby\u015bmy mogli si\u0119 na nim zwa\u017cy\u0107, okaza\u0142oby si\u0119, \u017ce wa\u017cymy oko\u0142o jednej sz\u00f3stej naszej masy na Ziemi.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n

Mo\u017cna by zapyta\u0107, dlaczego Ksi\u0119\u017cyc nie spada na Ziemi\u0119 tak jak jab\u0142ko z drzewa. Powodem jest to, \u017ce Ksi\u0119\u017cyc nigdy nie pozostaje w bezruchu. Nieustannie kr\u0105\u017cy wok\u00f3\u0142 nas. Gdyby nie si\u0142a grawitacji Ziemi, po prostu odp\u0142yn\u0105\u0142by w przestrze\u0144 kosmiczn\u0105. To po\u0142\u0105czenie pr\u0119dko\u015bci i odleg\u0142o\u015bci od Ziemi pozwala Ksi\u0119\u017cycowi zawsze utrzymywa\u0107 r\u00f3wnowag\u0119 mi\u0119dzy spadaniem a ucieczk\u0105. Gdyby porusza\u0142 si\u0119 szybciej, uciek\u0142by; gdyby by\u0142 wolniejszy \u2013 spad\u0142by!<\/p>\n

We said the force of gravity depends on distance too. If we were to distance ourselves enough, we could escape its hold. That\u2019s what we try to do with spacecraft. We need to reach and exceed the so-called \u2018escape velocity\u2019, that is about 11.2 km\/s (at such velocity, we would be able to move from London to New York in just ten minutes!). Once a shuttle reaches this velocity, it is free to travel in the Solar System.<\/p>\n

\"Minions\"
Minions<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Inside an orbiting shuttle we do not feel the gravitational force of the Earth. Objects don\u2019t fall, they float; if you jump up, you don\u2019t come back down. A similar thing also happens to astronauts when they are in space stations orbiting the Earth.<\/p>\n

In Despicable Me you will see rockets flying and the effects of gravity on the Moon. Gru has a group of assistants called Minions who will help him in his quest to steal the Moon and become the most famous villain in the world. We hope you enjoy the film!<\/p>\n