gravitational potential

Gravitational potential is a measure of the energy an object possesses due to its position relative to a source of gravity, like a planet or star. It reflects how much work would be needed to move the object from a point in space to a reference point, usually infinitely far away, where gravity’s influence is negligible. In simple terms, it indicates the stored energy an object has because of its location in a gravitational field. The deeper an object is in a gravitational well, the higher its gravitational potential energy.