What is the force that keeps the planets in orbit around the Sun?

The force that keeps the planets in orbit around the Sun is gravity. This gravitational force is the attraction between the massive object of the Sun and the planets. According to Newton's law of universal gravitation, every object with mass exerts a pull on every other object with mass, and the strength of this pull is determined by both the mass of the objects and the distance between them.

In the case of the solar system, the Sun, having a much larger mass than the planets, exerts a significant gravitational pull that keeps the planets in their elliptical orbits. This gravitational interaction is what prevents the planets from drifting off into space and maintains their stable orbits around the Sun.

Inertia, which is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion, is also a factor in planetary motion. However, it is gravity that provides the necessary centripetal force to keep the planets moving in curved paths rather than flying off into straight lines.

Magnetism and friction, on the other hand, do not play significant roles in the vast distances and motions within the solar system. Magnetism has localized effects, such as on charged particles from the sun, while friction is negligible in the vacuum of space. Therefore, gravity is the fundamental