According to the material, why do many solar system bodies orbit the Sun?

According to the material, why do many solar system bodies orbit the Sun?

• A. Because of centrifugal force
• B. Because of gravitational pull from the Sun
• C. Because of magnetic attraction
• D. Because of solar winds

Answer: (A)

Gravity from the Sun is what keeps solar system bodies in orbit. The Sun’s gravity pulls inward on a planet, and if that body already has sideways, or tangential, motion, gravity continually curves its path rather than letting it fall straight in or fly off. The result is an orbit: a path shaped by the balance between forward velocity and the inward pull. In a circular orbit, the inward pull provides the exact centripetal force needed to keep turning a constant distance around the Sun, which ties the orbital speed to the distance from the Sun. What you’d observe in a rotating frame is a centrifugal feeling, but in the real inertial frame the motion is explained by gravity acting as the central force keeping the object in orbit.

Gravity from the Sun is what keeps solar system bodies in orbit. The Sun’s gravity pulls inward on a planet, and if that body already has sideways, or tangential, motion, gravity continually curves its path rather than letting it fall straight in or fly off. The result is an orbit: a path shaped by the balance between forward velocity and the inward pull. In a circular orbit, the inward pull provides the exact centripetal force needed to keep turning a constant distance around the Sun, which ties the orbital speed to the distance from the Sun. What you’d observe in a rotating frame is a centrifugal feeling, but in the real inertial frame the motion is explained by gravity acting as the central force keeping the object in orbit.