Surface gravity
Weight on other planets
Step on a bathroom scale on the Moon and it reads about a sixth of what it does at home; on Jupiter's cloud tops, well over double. Enter what you weigh on Earth to see the reading on every world.
On the Moon
11.6 kg
jump 2.4 m
On Mars
26.4 kg
jump 1.1 m
On Jupiter
165.2 kg
at the cloud tops
| World | Scale reading | × Earth | Force | Same jump |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunvisible surface | 1,960 kg | 28 | 19,221 N | 1.4 cm |
| Mercury | 26.5 kg | 0.378 | 259 N | 1.1 m |
| Venus | 63.5 kg | 0.907 | 623 N | 44 cm |
| Earth | 70.0 kg | 1 | 686 N | 40 cm |
| MoonEarth's moon | 11.6 kg | 0.166 | 114 N | 2.4 m |
| Mars | 26.4 kg | 0.377 | 259 N | 1.1 m |
| Jupiter1 bar level | 165.2 kg | 2.36 | 1,620 N | 17 cm |
| Saturn1 bar level | 64.1 kg | 0.916 | 629 N | 44 cm |
| Uranus1 bar level | 62.2 kg | 0.889 | 610 N | 45 cm |
| Neptune1 bar level | 78.4 kg | 1.12 | 769 N | 36 cm |
| Plutodwarf planet | 4.97 kg | 0.071 | 49 N | 5.6 m |
Worked out Reading = your Earth reading × the world's gravity compared with Earth's: 70.0 kg × 0.377 = 26.4 kg on Mars. Your mass stays 70 kg everywhere; force = mass × 9.80665 m/s² × the ratio.
Mass stays, weight changes
Your mass, the amount of you, is the same everywhere. Weight is the pull of gravity on that mass, and a bathroom scale is calibrated for Earth's pull. So the reading on another world is your Earth reading multiplied by that world's surface gravity compared with Earth's: 70 kg × 0.377 = 26.4 kg on Mars.
The ratios are NASA's figures for gravity at the equator, including the small outward push from each planet's spin. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune have no solid surface, so their gravity is given at the level where air pressure equals one Earth atmosphere (1 bar), roughly the cloud tops. The Sun's figure is for its visible surface.
The Force column turns the reading into newtons using standard gravity, 9.80665 m/s². The Same jump column assumes you push off just as hard, so the height grows as gravity shrinks; a spacesuit and a thin atmosphere would change that in real life.
Sources
- Gravity ratios: NASA Planetary Fact Sheet, ratio to Earth values (David R. Williams, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center).
- What the gravity figures mean: NASA Planetary Fact Sheet notes.
- The Sun's surface gravity, 274.0 m/s² (28.0 × Earth): NASA Sun Fact Sheet.
- Standard acceleration of gravity, 9.80665 m/s²: NIST reference on constants.
Questions and answers
Why do Mercury and Mars have almost the same gravity?
Mars has about twice Mercury's mass, but Mercury is much denser, with a large iron core, so its surface sits closer to its centre. Being closer makes up for the smaller mass, and both pull at about 0.38 times Earth's gravity.
Why is Saturn's gravity lower than Earth's?
Saturn is 95 times more massive than Earth, but its cloud tops are about nine Earth radii from its centre. Gravity weakens with the square of distance, which almost cancels the extra mass, leaving 0.916 times Earth's pull.
Could I really stand on Jupiter?
No. There is no solid ground, only deeper and denser gas and liquid. The Jupiter figure is what a scale would read while floating at the 1 bar level, which is useful for comparison but not a place you could visit.
Does this work in pounds?
Yes. Choose lb and the readings and jump heights switch to pounds and inches. The ratios are the same in any unit.