* The Sun's Gravitational Influence: The Sun's gravity affects everything in our solar system, including Earth, keeping us in orbit. It even extends far beyond our solar system, influencing the motion of nearby stars.
* Inverse Square Law: Gravity weakens rapidly with distance. The force of gravity is proportional to the inverse square of the distance. This means if you double the distance from the Sun, the gravitational force becomes four times weaker.
* Gravitational Influence of Other Stars: Eventually, the Sun's gravity becomes negligible compared to the gravity of other stars in the Milky Way galaxy.
So, to answer your question directly:
* The Sun's gravity technically extends infinitely.
* It has a significant influence within our solar system.
* Beyond that, its influence weakens rapidly and eventually becomes insignificant compared to other celestial bodies.