Thursday, February 9, 2012

Is it true that astronauts revealed that the earth is not oblate spheroid but pear -shaped?

I liked my first answer!



The diameter of the earth at the equator is 7,926.41 miles (12,756.32 kilometers).

But, if you measure the earth through the poles the diameter is a bit shorter - 7,901 miles (12,715.43 km)



Thus the earth is a tad wider (25 miles / 41 km) than it is tall, giving it a slight bulge at the equator. This shape is known as an ellipsoid or more properly, geoid (earth-like).
Is it true that astronauts revealed that the earth is not oblate spheroid but pear -shaped?
Slightly pear shaped. It wasn't astronauts though, but the first satellites way back in the fifties. By following the anomalies in their orbits scientists were able to determine the shape of Earth.



Of course, as measurements have become more precise we have gotten a better idea of its shape.
Reply:no
Reply:It is slightly pear-shaped, but the difference between that and an honest oblate spheroid is negligible. The current standard model for the earth is an oblate spheroid with equatorial radius 6378137.000 meters, polar radius 6356752.314 meters.
Reply:did you get that question from my posted answer,try to be a little original
Reply:yes
loops

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