Yes, there is gravity in space.

Quick Scoop: The Short Answer

  • Gravity exists everywhere in the universe, including space.
  • Astronauts float not because there’s no gravity, but because they are in constant free fall around Earth (called orbit), creating “microgravity” or weightlessness.

Wait, if there’s gravity, why do astronauts float?

What you see in videos from the International Space Station (ISS) looks like “zero gravity,” but that’s an illusion.

  • The ISS orbits only about 400 km above Earth, where Earth’s gravity is still almost as strong as on the surface.
  • Both the station and the astronauts are falling toward Earth at the same rate while moving sideways fast enough that they keep missing the ground — that’s what an orbit is.
  • Because everything is falling together, astronauts feel weightless, even though gravity is still pulling on them.

A good mental image: it’s like being in an elevator whose cables snapped — you and the elevator would fall together and you’d feel weightless, even though gravity is absolutely acting on you.

How far does gravity reach in space?

  • Gravity never truly becomes zero; it just gets weaker with distance.
  • Earth’s gravity holds the Moon in orbit.
  • The Sun’s gravity holds all the planets, comets, and asteroids in orbit and accounts for almost all the mass in the solar system.
  • Even far from stars and planets, every bit of matter (dust, planets, black holes, galaxies) pulls on every other bit through gravity.

The existence of black holes — regions where gravity is so strong that even light cannot escape — is a dramatic example that gravity is a dominant force in space, not absent there.

Why do people say “no gravity in space”?

It mostly comes from:

  • Movies and footage of floating astronauts, which look like there’s no gravity.
  • Casual talk using “zero gravity” as shorthand for “weightlessness” or “microgravity.”

Scientists and educators often stress that this is a myth : there is no place in the universe with literally zero gravity, only places where it’s very weak.

“There is gravity in space – lots of it.”

Forum & trending angle

Questions like “how do we know space has no gravity?” or “did scientists know there was no gravity in space?” keep popping up in science forums and Reddit threads.

  • Many users confidently say “space has no gravity,” and others jump in to correct them: “All space does in fact have gravity.”
  • Discussions often bring up Einstein’s idea that gravity is the curvature of spacetime, so it doesn’t just shut off once you leave Earth.

This keeps the topic a recurring “trending” science myth that educators and science communicators debunk over and over.

Key points in list form

  1. Gravity acts everywhere in space; it never becomes exactly zero.
  1. Astronauts float because they are in continuous free fall around Earth (orbit), not because gravity is gone.
  1. Orbits of the Moon around Earth and planets around the Sun are direct evidence that gravity rules space.
  1. Even in “empty” regions, distant stars, galaxies, and black holes exert gravitational pull.
  1. “Zero gravity in space” is a popular myth that forums and science sites actively correct.

TL;DR:
There is gravity in space — everywhere. Astronauts float not because gravity disappears, but because they, their ship, and everything inside are all falling together in orbit, creating the feeling of weightlessness.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.