Want to create massive objects in a universe simulator? The browser-based game Gravity, from the National Science and Technology Medals Foundation (NSTMF), offers this engaging experience. Beyond fun, it teaches core gravity concepts trusted by science educators.
The NSTMF, a U.S. nonprofit fostering inclusive science, technology, and math communities, launched Gravity—an online game where you play as a space deity.
Spawn objects of varying masses into the cosmic void and watch interactions unfold based on size. Form binary systems, with smaller bodies orbiting larger ones, demonstrating real gravitational dynamics.
NSTMF designed Gravity to build genuine understanding of gravity through interactive events with expert explanations. See how massive bodies warp spacetime, altering smaller objects' trajectories. Create hyper-massive entities to form black holes.
It runs seamlessly on any web browser, highlighting gravity's role beyond Earth—shaping planets, moons, galaxies, and black holes that trap even light.
Gravity informs key research, like extraterrestrial life. In February 2020, Sonneberg Observatory astronomer Michael Hippke noted that super-Earth exoplanets—often twice Earth's radius with 10x the mass and double the gravity—could trap alien civilizations on their surfaces.
