eli5 Does gravity act the same for large objects as it does for small objects. So if I were to shrink planet Earth and the moon to say half the size and the distance between them too then would they continue orbiting. Would this also apply if they somehow became much larger?

Question

eli5 Does gravity act the same for large objects as it does for small objects. So if I were to shrink planet Earth and the moon to say half the size and the distance between them too then would they continue orbiting. Would this also apply if they somehow became much larger?

In: 9

Answer 1

The short answer is yes, gravity is the same, but the different variables are not always proportionate. So if the masses were cut in half, that doesn’t mean that the distance should be cut in half, or that the 29 day orbit of the moon will still be 29 days or 14.5 days, for that matter These may have to be different.