The gravitational phenomenon that keeps objects in orbit is known as gravitational attraction. This force is described by Isaac Newton's law of universal gravitation, which states that every mass attracts every other mass with a force that is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers. In space, this force causes celestial bodies like planets, moons, and satellites to follow curved paths around larger objects, such as planets orbiting the sun. Without this gravitational force, objects would drift away into space instead of maintaining stable orbits.