Ch. 12 Universal Gravitation • • • • • • • explain Newton’s idea that the moon, like an apple, falls towards Earth. explain why the moon does not fall into Earth, nor the planets into the sun. state and interpret Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation. explain the connection between gravitation and the idea that the universe may stop expanding and begin to contract. distinguish between g (gravitational acceleration) and G (the universal gravitational constant). explain why an astronaut in orbit seems weightless even though there is a gravitational force on the astronaut. describe how an object (satellite) can continue to fall around the object (planet, star, moon, etc.) that they’re orbiting.