GRAVITATIONAL FIELD

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does gravitational field mean? 

• GRAVITATIONAL FIELD (noun)
  The noun GRAVITATIONAL FIELD has 1 sense:

1. a field of force surrounding a body of finite mass

  Familiarity information: GRAVITATIONAL FIELD used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• GRAVITATIONAL FIELD (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A field of force surrounding a body of finite mass

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Hypernyms ("gravitational field" is a kind of...):

field; field of force; force field (the space around a radiating body within which its electromagnetic oscillations can exert force on another similar body not in contact with it)

 Context examples 

The interior of Saturn vibrates at frequencies that cause variations in its gravitational field.

(Scientists Finally Know What Time It Is on Saturn, NASA)

However, in this case, the gravitational field of a massive foreground galaxy cluster not only amplified the light from the background galaxy but also smeared the image of it into an arc (about 2 arcseconds long).

(NASA's Great Observatories Team Up to Find Magnified and Stretched Image of Distant Galaxy, NASA)

The disk is so deeply embedded in the black hole's intense gravitational field that the light from the gas disk is modified, according to Einstein’s theories of relativity, giving astronomers a unique look at the dynamic processes close to a black hole.

(Hubble Uncovers Black Hole Disk that Shouldn't Exist, NASA)

The answer to this question is vitally important if we are to understand the dynamic history of all nearby galaxies, both large and small, as the gravitational field of the most massive will command the action.

(No Winner in Milky Way-Andromeda Clash, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)