How does mass create gravity?
Einstein’s explanation, which was a major part of his Theory of General Relativity, was that a massive object like a star or planet actually warps or curves space-time rather like the depression you would get by stepping on a trampoline. Your mass causes a depression in the stretchy fabric. Now roll a ball past the warp at your feet and it’ll curve toward your mass. The heavier you are, the more you bend space and if you look towards the edges of the trampoline, the warp lessens the farther it is from your mass. When objects are in orbit, their rotational speed is such that the ground curves away from the object at least at the same rate as the object is free-falling towards it. At a specific speed, dependent on the mass of the planet, the object achieves escape velocity and effectively breaks free of the planet’s gravity. Conversely, if the object’s speed reduces, the effect of gravity will increase and the orbit will decay until it strikes the ground (or hopefully lands safely in the
