Final answer:
The gravitational attraction between two planets in space is determined by Newton's universal law of gravitation, which states that the force of attraction is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. By plugging in the values of the masses of the planets and their distance, you can calculate the gravitational force between them.
Step-by-step explanation:
The gravitational attraction between two planets in space is determined by Newton's universal law of gravitation. According to this law, the gravitational force between two objects is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. This means that the larger the masses of the planets and the closer they are to each other, the stronger the gravitational force between them.
For example, let's consider the gravitational attraction between Earth and Mars. Earth has a mass of about 5.97 x 10^24 kilograms, and Mars has a mass of about 6.39 x 10^23 kilograms. The average distance between Earth and Mars is about 225 million kilometers. Plugging these values into the equation, we can calculate the gravitational force between them.
F = G * (M₁ * M₂) / r²
Where F is the gravitational force, G is the gravitational constant (approximately 6.67 x 10^-11 Nm²/kg²), M₁ and M₂ are the masses of the planets, and r is the distance between them.
By calculating the force, you can determine the strength of the gravitational attraction between any two planets in space.