The law of universal gravitation states that every mass attracts every other mass in the universe. This attraction is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers. This means that larger masses exert a stronger gravitational pull, while the force weakens as the distance increases. Formulated by Isaac Newton in the 17th century, this law helps explain various phenomena, such as the orbits of planets around the Sun and the falling of objects towards the Earth. It is a fundamental principle in understanding how celestial bodies interact in space.