Every few months, memes circulate claiming that certain alignments of the planets with the Earth will result in a change in the gravitational force you feel. Usually, these memes state that the alignment will counteract Earth's gravity slightly so you will less of a gravitational pull towards the Earth.
Can this ever happen? Let's look at the numbers.
What is the gravitational force (in N) of the Earth on you ? Say your mass is . (Enter the magnitude.)
What is the gravitational force (in N) of Jupiter on you when it is closest to Earth ? (Enter the magnitude.)
By what factor the mass of Jupiter needs to increase to be equal to the gravitational force you fell the Earth?
The gravitational force between two masses is given by
where
We can use this expression to determine the magnitude of the gravitational force you feel while on the surface of the Earth.
