Have you ever wondered how high you could jump on other planets? Imagine jumping over a two-story building on Pluto or barely lifting off the ground on Jupiter. Your jumping ability depends on gravity—the force that attracts objects toward each other. The stronger the gravity, the less you can jump, and the weaker the gravity, the higher you can soar. Here’s a look at how gravity affects jumping on various planets and moons in our solar system.
Earth
On Earth, gravity is strong, so you can only jump about half a meter off the ground. This is because Earth’s mass creates a strong gravitational pull, which keeps you grounded.
Mars
Mars, our red neighbor, has only about a third of Earth’s gravity. If you weigh 70 kg on Earth, you’d weigh just 23 kg on Mars. This weaker gravity allows you to jump three times higher, roughly 1.5 meters, and you’d hang in the air longer due to Mars’ lower atmospheric pressure.
Jupiter
Jupiter, the gas giant, has a gravitational pull 2.5 times stronger than Earth’s. If you weigh 70 kg on Earth, you’d feel like you weigh 175 kg on Jupiter. Due to the intense gravity, your jump would only reach about 17 cm, and you’d feel like you were carrying a heavy backpack with every movement. Plus, Jupiter’s surface doesn’t exist since it’s made mostly of gas.
Neptune
Neptune’s gravity is just slightly stronger than Earth’s, about 1.14 times as strong. If you weigh 70 kg on Earth, you’d weigh around 80 kg on Neptune. You can jump slightly lower than on Earth, about 39 cm, and the planet’s icy atmosphere and strong winds would make your jump feel like you’re in a freezing hurricane.
Venus
Venus’ gravity is similar to Earth’s, about 90% as strong. If you weigh 70 kg on Earth, you’d weigh about 63 kg on Venus. On the Venusian surface, you could jump about 49 cm, but the dense atmosphere would make it feel like you’re moving in slow motion.
Pluto
Pluto, the dwarf planet, has very weak gravity—only about 1/12th of Earth’s. If you weigh 70 kg on Earth, you’d weigh just 6 kg on Pluto. Thanks to the low gravity, you could jump an incredible 7 meters high, roughly the height of a two-story building.
Miranda
Miranda, one of Uranus’ moons, has gravity about 1/100th of Earth’s. If you weigh 70 kg on Earth, you’d weigh less than a kilogram on Miranda. Here, you could jump an astonishing 57 meters, equivalent to jumping over a 15-story building!
Phobos
Phobos, one of Mars’ moons, has even weaker gravity than Miranda—about 1/1700th of Earth’s. If you weigh 70 kg on Earth, you’d weigh just a few grams on Phobos. You could jump over 700 meters high, almost like leaping over a 230-story building!
The Sun
Jumping on the Sun is impossible due to its extreme gravity—28 times stronger than Earth’s. If you weigh 70 kg on Earth, you’d weigh almost 2,000 kg on the Sun. Plus, since the Sun is a giant ball of burning gas, standing on it isn’t an option.
So, which planet or moon would you want to jump on? Let us know in the comments below!
