(New Zealand Herald) : Weight gain is a common complaint of holidaymakers. According to Nasa choosing a different destination could make a difference in how much you weigh.
Scientists have recently discovered the reason why travellers to Sri Lanka are lighter, whereas you’ll gain weight in Turkey. It’s not the baklava.
Since the 1960s Nasa has known that gravity does not affect the globe evenly, with ‘anomalies’ in the weight of objects travelling from one location to another.
Though those hoping to shed might be disappointed.
A traveller weighing 68kg in New Zealand could lose up to 3g when in the Maldives or Canada’s Hudson Bay, where there are areas of lower relative-gravity. The difference is not massive, around 1/25,000 of your bodyweight, but it’s a start.
What it does tell us is that the makeup of the planet is very different under foot, affecting the weight and gravitational force on the surface.
Which country has lowest gravity?
Satellites from Nasa’s GRACE mission (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) have been mapping the differences for years. While ocean measuring stations have suggested there is a difference the use of satellite imaging to measure water density has allowed Nasa to build high definition of gravity.
The lowest gravity on the planet is found at the southern tip of Sri Lanka and parts of the Indian Ocean east of the Maldives. North Canada around the Hudson Bay area is also an area of low gravity.
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