Watch a pilot dive his plane to test the strange effect zero gravity has on sweets

A passenger captured the moment a pilot pushed his plane into a dive to test how zero gravity effects Skittles.

While flying over Florida, pilot Geoffrey Graf put his plane into a dive. The force of the dive caused a sense of weightlessness and the passenger released the sweets to show the result.

The sensation of weightlessness, otherwise known as zero gravity, occurs when the effects of gravity are not felt. This happens because the force is weak or because the body and its surroundings are freely and equally accelerating under the force.

Calling this sensation zero gravity isn't entirely accurate, however, as a small amount of gravity can be found everywhere in space. Nasa refers to this sensation as "microgravity".

"Microgravity is the condition in which people or objects appear to be weightless. The effects of microgravity can be seen when astronauts and objects float in space. Microgravity can be experienced in other ways, as well. 'Micro' means 'very small' so microgravity refers to the condition where gravity seems to be very small," Nasa states.

"In microgravity, astronauts can float in their spacecraft – or outside, on a spacewalk. Heavy objects move around easily. For example, astronauts can move equipment weighing hundreds of pounds with their fingertips. Microgravity is sometimes called 'zero gravity' but this is misleading."

Nasa uses airplanes to create microgravity for short periods of time.