Spacetime Curvature: Why Planets Orbit the Sun

In general relativity, gravity isn’t a force but the bending of spacetime by mass.
The Sun’s immense mass curves spacetime around it, creating orbital pathways.
Planets move in straight lines through curved spacetime—what we see as orbits.
Without spacetime curvature, planets would drift off into space instead of circling the Sun.
The tighter the curvature, the stronger the gravitational effect.
Mercury’s orbit shifts slightly each century, perfectly explained by Einstein’s theory.
Light passing near the Sun also bends, confirming spacetime curvature during eclipses.
Orbits are not fixed tracks but the natural motion through warped geometry.
Spacetime curvature works on all scales—from Earth’s orbit to galaxies themselves.
This idea replaced Newton’s “invisible force” with a geometric picture of the universe.