Since the Earth is flattened at the poles and bulges at the Equator, geodesy represents the figure of the Earth as an
oblate spheroid
. The oblate spheroid, or oblate ellipsoid, is an ellipsoid of revolution obtained by rotating an ellipse about its shorter axis.
What is the real shape of the Earth?
The Earth is an
irregularly shaped ellipsoid
.
While the Earth appears to be round when viewed from the vantage point of space, it is actually closer to an ellipsoid.
What causes the Earth oblateness?
This is the result of
the hydrostatic balance between the dominant gravitational force
, which wants to pull the Earth into a spherically symmetric configuration, and the centrifugal force due to Earth’s rotation, which wants to expel mass away from the rotating axis but in the end only manages to modify the Earth into …
What determines oblateness?
The determination of the oblateness (f) of an exoplanet
would shed light on that planet’s internal structure, dynamics, and formation history
. Specifically, it may be possible to empirically constrain the rotation rate, P
rot
, obliquity, θ, and gravitational zonal quadrupole moment, J
2
, of an exoplanet.
Is the Earth a sphere?
Even though
our planet is a sphere
, it is not a perfect sphere. Because of the force caused when Earth rotates, the North and South Poles are slightly flat. Earth’s rotation, wobbly motion and other forces are making the planet change shape very slowly, but it is still round.
How is oblateness calculated?
oblateness = C * [R^3/(M * P^2)]
where C is a constant that depends on the mass distribution of the body in question, so it varies a bit among the gas giants.
How many miles is the Earth’s equator?
The distance around the Earth at the Equator, its circumference, is 40,075 kilometers (
24,901 miles
). The Earth’s diameter is also wider at the Equator, creating a phenomenon called an equatorial bulge.
Is there a full picture of Earth?
No human
since has been far enough from Earth to photograph a whole-Earth image such as The Blue Marble, but whole-Earth images have been taken by many uncrewed spacecraft missions.
How old is the Earth?
Earth is estimated to be
4.54 billion years old
, plus or minus about 50 million years. Scientists have scoured the Earth searching for the oldest rocks to radiometrically date. In northwestern Canada, they discovered rocks about 4.03 billion years old.
What is true shape of Earth Class 6?
(a) The true shape of the Earth is
geoid-earth like shape
. In other words, it is orange shaped.
What is J2 gravity?
The term J2 comes from an infinite series mathematical equation that describes
the perturbational effects of oblation on the
gravity of a planet. … The two main orbital elements affected by J2 Perturbations are the Right Ascension of the Ascending Node (Ω) and the Argument of Perigee (ω).
What is the oblateness of Jupiter?
Unlike the inner planets, Jupiter is not a solid body, but instead is a ball of gas and liquid (mostly hydrogen and helium). Jupiter has an oblateness of
about 6%
, which means that the equatorial diameter is 6% greater than the polar diameter.
What would the surface gravity of a neutron star be like?
A white dwarf’s surface gravity is around 100,000g (9.84 ×10
5
m/s2) whilst the neutron star’s compactness gives it a surface gravity of
up to 7×10
12
m/s2
with typical values of order 10
12
m/s2 (that is more than 10
11
times that of Earth).
Is Earth egg shaped?
New photos taken from Voyager 2 show that
planet Earth is oval in shape
, resembling an egg, and not spherical as originally thought. … From this distance, Earth appears spherical, as only one portion of the Earth’s surface is visible at a time.”
Is the earth spinning faster?
We’re sorry to be the bearers of weird news, but yes, according to LiveScience,
the Earth is indeed spinning faster
. … Normally, Earth takes about 86,400 seconds to spin on its axis, or make a full one-day rotation, though it has been known to fluctuate here and there.
What planet has a perfect sphere shape?
Mercury and Venus
are the roundest of all. They are nearly perfect spheres, like marbles. But some planets aren’t quite so perfectly round. Saturn and Jupiter are bit thicker in the middle.
