Your Weight on Other Planets

Have you ever wondered how much do you weigh on other planets? Now you can find out. If your Web browser supports Flash, you can click in the box below and enter your weight. Then, click the "Calculate" button to see what you weigh on the planets and moons listed below:

Mass and Weight

Your weight on the planet Earth is a function of our planet's mass. The mass of an object is a measure of how much matter it contains. If you had two bricks, one made of concrete and one made of lead, the lead brick would weight much more. This is because it contains more matter and is therefore more massive. All celestial objects in the universe with mass have a measurable pull on all other objects with mass. The strength of this attraction depends on how massive the objects are and how far apart they are.

Planets and moons are very massive objects and have a very strong pull on other objects. This phenomenon is known as gravity. More massive objects have a stronger pull than less massive objects. This is why you weigh more on larger, more massive planets like Jupiter and less on smaller, less massive planets like Mars. The mass of an object depends not only on its size, but also its composition. Even though the planets Uranus and Neptune are nearly the same size, Uranus is less dense and has less mass, so your weight would be less.

Distance also has an effect on the pull of gravity. You may have noticed that although the Sun is the most massive object in the Solar System, your weight isn't quite as much as you might think. This is because the Sun is so large and its surface is so far from its center, that the pull of gravity is weaker at its surface.

Of course, we all know it is impossible to stand on the surface of the Sun. It would also be impossible to stand on the surface of the gas giant planets like Jupiter and Uranus, because they have no solid surface. But this demonstration does show how mass affects gravity and the weight of objects.