GCSE Physics

Wobbling Stars

Gravity attracts all masses to each other, so although a planet is less massive than the Sun, we know that a planet attracts the Sun slightly.

For example, if we looked at the Sun from elsewhere in our Galaxy*, we would see the Sun "wobble" from side to side roughly every four years as the giant planet Jupiter attracts the Sun slightly.

Jupiter's gravitational influence on the Sun:
(not to scale)
Gravitational wobble in the Sun's position due to Jupiter

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