Gravitation of the Moon - wikipedia Gravitation of the Moon Radial gravity anomaly at the surface of the Moon in Gal ( acceleration ) The acceleration due to gravity on the surface of the Moon is about 1.625 m / s, about 16.6 % that on Earth 's surface or 0.16 ɡ. Over the entire surface, the variation in gravitational acceleration is about 0.0253 m / s ( 1.6 % of the acceleration due to gravity ). Because weight is directly dependent upon gravitational acceleration, things on the Moon will weigh only 16.6 % of what they weigh on the Earth. The gravitational field of the Moon has been measured by tracking the radio signals emitted by orbiting spacecraft. The principle used depends on the Doppler effect, whereby the line - of - sight spacecraft acceleration can be measured by small shifts in frequency of the radio signal, and the measurement of the distance from the spacecraft to a station on Earth. Since the gravitational field of the Moon affects the orbit of a spacecraft, one can use these tracking data to detect gravity anomalies. However, because of the Moon 's synchronous rotation it is not possible to track spacecraft from Earth much beyond the limbs of the Moon, so until the recent GRAIL mission the far - side gravity field was not accurately known. Gravity acceleration at the surface of the Moon in m / s. Near side on the left, far side on the right. Map from Lunar Gravity Model 2011. A major feature of the Moon 's gravitational field is the presence of mascons, which are large positive gravity anomalies associated with some of the giant impact basins. These anomalies significantly influence the orbit of spacecraft around the Moon, and an accurate gravitational model is necessary in the planning of both manned and unmanned missions. They were initially discovered by the analysis of Lunar Orbiter tracking data : navigation tests prior to the Apollo program showed positioning errors much larger than mission specifications. Mascons are in part due to the presence of dense mare basaltic lava flows that fill some of the impact basins. However, lava flows by themselves can not fully explain the gravitational variations, and uplift of the crust - mantle interface is required as well. Based on Lunar Prospector gravitational models, it has been suggested that some mascons exist that do not show evidence for mare basaltic volcanism. The huge expanse of mare basaltic volcanism associated with Oceanus Procellarum does not cause a positive gravity anomaly. The center of gravity of the Moon does not coincide exactly with its geometric center, but is displaced toward the Earth by about 2 kilometers. Moon -- Oceanus Procellarum ( `` Ocean of Storms '' ) Ancient rift valleys -- rectangular structure ( visible -- topography -- GRAIL gravity gradients ) ( October 1, 2014 ). Ancient rift valleys -- context. Ancient rift valleys -- closeup ( artist 's concept ). See also Moon portal Magnetic field of the Moon Micro-g environment References Jump up ^ C. Hirt ; W.E. Featherstone ( 2012 ). `` A 1.5 km - resolution gravity field model of the Moon ''. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 329 -- 330 : 22 -- 30. Bibcode : 2012E&PSL. 329... 22H. doi : 10.1016 / j. epsl. 2012.02. 012. Retrieved 2012 - 08 - 21. Jump up ^ P. Muller ; W. Sjogren ( 1968 ). `` Mascons : Lunar mass concentrations ''. Science. 161 ( 3842 ) : 680 -- 684. Bibcode : 1968Sci... 161... 680M. doi : 10.1126 / science. 161.3842. 680. PMID 17801458. Jump up ^ Richard A. Kerr ( 12 April 2013 ). `` The Mystery of Our Moon 's Gravitational Bumps Solved ? ''. Science. 340 ( 6129 ) : 138 -- 9. doi : 10.1126 / science. 340.6129. 138 - a. PMID 23580504. Jump up ^ A. Konopliv ; S. Asmar ; E. Carranza ; W. Sjogren ; D. Yuan ( 2001 ). `` Recent gravity models as a result of the Lunar Prospector mission ''. Icarus. 50 : 1 -- 18. Bibcode : 2001Icar... 150... 1K. doi : 10.1006 / icar. 2000.6573. Jump up ^ Nine Planets The Moon Physical properties Internal structure Topography Atmosphere Gravity field Hill sphere Magnetic field Sodium tail Moonlight Earthshine Orbit Lunar distance Orbital elements Distance Perigee and apogee Nodes Nodal period Precession Syzygy New moon Full moon Eclipses Lunar eclipse Total penumbral lunar eclipse Tetrad Solar eclipse Solar eclipses on the Moon Eclipse cycle Supermoon Tide Tidal force Tidal locking Tidal acceleration Tidal range Lunar mansion Surface and features Selenography Terminator Hemispheres Near side Far side Poles North pole South pole Face Maria List Mountains Peak of eternal light Valleys Volcanic features Domes Calderas Craters List Ray systems Crater of eternal darkness Shackleton crater South Pole -- Aitken basin Soil Swirls Rilles Wrinkle ridges Rocks Lunar basalt 70017 Water Space weathering Micrometeorite Sputtering Quakes Transient lunar phenomenon Science Observation Libration Lunar theory Origin Giant - impact hypothesis Theia Lunar magma ocean Geology Timescale Late Heavy Bombardment Lunar meteorites KREEP Experiments Lunar laser ranging ALSEP Lunar sample displays Apollo 11 Apollo 17 Exploration Missions Apollo program Probes Landing Conspiracy theories Colonization Tourism Time - telling and navigation Lunar calendar Lunisolar calendar Month Lunar month Nodal period Fortnight Sennight Lunar mansion Lunar distance Phases and names New Full Names Crescent Super and micro Blood Blue Black Dark Wet Tetrad Related topics Lunar effect Moon illusion Pareidolia Man in the Moon Moon rabbit Craters named after people Memorials on the Moon Moon in fiction Moon in mythology Hjúki and Bil `` Moon is made of green cheese '' Natural satellite Double planet Lilith ( hypothetical second moon ) Moon portal Earth sciences portal Solar System portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gravitation_of_the_Moon&oldid=827987136 '' Categories : Geodesy Gravitation Lunar science Gravimetry of objects Hidden categories : Pages using multiple image with manual scaled images Talk About Wikipedia Беларуская Català Español 한국어 日本 語 Norsk Português Română Русский සිංහල Українська 4 more Edit links This page was last edited on 27 February 2018, at 22 : 08 ( UTC ). 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Question: how does the gravity on earth compare to the moon
Answer: The acceleration due to gravity on the surface of the Moon is about 1.625 m/s2, about 16.6% that on Earth's surface