How a massive cave in Italy can make a car lighter
In short: Gravity isn't a constant uniform force; it fluctuates based on what lies beneath your feet. This video explores how subterranean voids and orbital satellites work together to map the invisible forces shaping our world.
In northern Italy, a cave so vast it physically alters the local gravity field means a one-tonne car would weigh five grammes less when parked above it. To understand these variations on a global scale, scientists look to the geoid—a comprehensive gravity map of the planet.
The European Space Agency's GOCE satellite has mapped this geoid since 2009 to assist engineers and oceanographers. Complementing this is the GRACE mission, a US-German partnership that provides monthly gravity surveys. While less precise than GOCE, GRACE has spent the last decade tracking ice mass loss in Greenland to provide evidence of climate change.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: ESA Euronews: Gravity's grip on Earth
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