Space Episode 2: Why Don’t We Fall Off Earth?

Picture Earth.

Remember what it looks like from space.

A giant round ball.

Now imagine putting tiny people all over that ball.

Put one person right on top, put another on the side, and now put someone all the way underneath.

Wait a second.

Underneath? Why isn't that person falling off? Actually, why aren't any of us falling off? Earth is floating in space.

There's no giant floor underneath our planet.

There aren't ropes holding us onto it.

So why can you stand on Earth without floating away? And here's an even stranger question.

Which way is down? That's our mystery today.

Let's start with something easy.

Without thinking too hard, point down.

Go ahead.

Point your finger toward the floor of your car.

That's down, right? Okay, now imagine a kid in Australia pointing down.

Depending on where you are on Earth, that kid could be standing on a very different part of the round planet.

So when they point down, are they pointing in the same direction through space that you are? No.

Picture our basketball Earth from last time.

Let's make an Earth a giant basketball again.

Put a tiny toy person on top of the basketball.

Its feet point toward the center of the ball.

Now put another tiny person on the bottom.

Its feet also point toward the center of the ball.

From your perspective, that second person might look upside down, but do they feel upside down? Nope.