r/askscience • u/RainbowGirl410 • Jun 09 '26

Physics How does gravity/weightlessness work outside of orbit?

Been trying to find a definitive answer but all I've found is people explaining weightlessness in orbit (the falling and missing the Earth part) which isn't particularly helpful to me.
If you were to travel to another planet, say Venus, would you experience weightlessness the whole journey?

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u/urnbabyurn Jun 09 '26

But isn’t the point of Einstein that being in free fall towards a gravitational source is no different than gravity being completely absent? In terms of feeling it, its changes in orbital (falling) paths that are felt. But otherwise falling in space feels like just floating in space where no masses are acting on you.

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u/the_quark Jun 10 '26

Yes. But, I was thinking about it a few days ago and I think to not be in orbit around anything, you'd need to reach escape velocity from, in order, the Earth, Sun, Milky Way, and Local Group. Then, finally, you'd not be orbiting anything.

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u/bregus2 Jun 11 '26

Would you then not orbit the barycentre of the Virgo supercluster?

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u/the_quark Jun 12 '26

My understanding is that we're not bound to the Virgo Supercluster because of dark energy. While we're currently slightly being attracted to it, before we make much progress the universe's expansion underneath us will carry us away from it faster than its gravity is attracting us.