The gravitational force between two heavenly bodies is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers. This is described by Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation:

F = G * (m1 * m2) / r²

Where:

* F is the force of gravity

* G is the gravitational constant (approximately 6.674 × 10⁻¹¹ N⋅m²/kg²)

* m1 and m2 are the masses of the two bodies

* r is the distance between their centers

Explanation:

* Direct Proportionality to Mass: The more massive the objects, the stronger the gravitational force between them. This is because a more massive object has a stronger gravitational field, attracting other objects more strongly.

* Inverse Square Proportionality to Distance: The farther apart the objects are, the weaker the gravitational force between them. This is because the gravitational field weakens rapidly as the distance increases.

Example:

If you double the mass of one of the objects, the gravitational force between them will also double. If you double the distance between the objects, the gravitational force between them will decrease to one-fourth of its original value.

Important Note:

* This formula applies to point masses or spherically symmetric objects. For more complex shapes, the calculation can be more complicated.

* This law describes the force between the *centers* of the objects. It doesn't account for the gravitational force at different points on the surface of each object.

Let me know if you'd like to explore specific examples or scenarios!