Knowra Earth's gravity field Earth's gravity field Earth's gravity field is the spatial pattern of gravitational acceleration produced by the planet's mass and its distribution. It varies with location because Earth rotates and its mass is unevenly distributed.
Newton's law of universal gravitation : A law stating that every mass attracts every other mass with a force proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to distance squared. It describes the gravitational attraction whose combined effects create Earth's field.
Gravitational acceleration : The acceleration a body experiences under gravity at a specified location. It is the local quantity whose spatial pattern defines this field.
Satellite geodesy : The use of satellite observations to measure Earth's shape, rotation, and gravity field. Satellite tracking and ranging constrain the field at regional and global scales.
Earth Gravitational Model 2008 : A global model of Earth's gravitational potential developed from satellite, surface, and airborne data. EGM2008 is a widely used high-resolution representation of the field.
Satellite gravity gradiometry : The measurement of spatial differences in gravitational acceleration using instruments that compare gravity across short distances. It offers finer spatial detail but remains limited by instrument noise and orbit altitude.
Centrifugal force : An apparent outward force used to describe motion in a rotating reference frame. Earth's rotation reduces effective gravity away from the poles.
Gravimetry : The measurement of gravitational acceleration and its variations. Its instruments provide the observations used to map Earth's field.
GRACE and GRACE-FO : Twin-satellite missions that map changes in Earth's gravity through variations in the distance between spacecraft. Their measurements track changing water, ice, and other mass distributions.
GOCE : The European Space Agency satellite mission that mapped Earth's gravity field with a gradiometer. Its measurements improved knowledge of the field's long-wavelength structure.
Earth's interior : The layered structure of Earth, including its crust, mantle, and core. Gravity observations constrain interior density, but many distinct structures can produce similar signals.
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