it's hard to understand because we're used to thinking in three dimensions.
Space is essentially empty. There are small collections of matter interspersed throughout called galaxies, in the galaxies are stars, formed of elements (hydrogen, helium mostly undergoing nuclear fission, other matter, nuclear energy from proton/neutron interaction). This energy disrupts the normally empty space, and causes nearby matter to be attracted to the disruption. The best analogy is stretching a bedsheet tight, placing a bowling or something heavy in the middle, and throwing a golfball across the sheet.. the golfball will circle the heavier object until they collide. You just have to replace the linear 2d example of the bedsheet as space-time with the reality (3d) and that's basically how I've heard it explained.
Space is essentially empty. There are small collections of matter interspersed throughout called galaxies, in the galaxies are stars, formed of elements (hydrogen, helium mostly undergoing nuclear fission, other matter, nuclear energy from proton/neutron interaction). This energy disrupts the normally empty space, and causes nearby matter to be attracted to the disruption. The best analogy is stretching a bedsheet tight, placing a bowling or something heavy in the middle, and throwing a golfball across the sheet.. the golfball will circle the heavier object until they collide. You just have to replace the linear 2d example of the bedsheet as space-time with the reality (3d) and that's basically how I've heard it explained.
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