geoid shape of earth _ Geoid vs flat earth _real shape of earth
  • 2 years ago
geoid shape of earth_ Geoid vs flat earth _real shape of earth
where on earth am I?
earth, the dynamic planet we all call home,

The third planet from the sun, the fifth largest planet in the solar system and the only astronomical object known to harbor life, Sometimes called The Blue Marble

But how do we know what earth looks like? As humans, we have known that the Earth is round for more than 2 thousand years,

The ancient Greeks in their theorizing ranged from the flat disk to the spherical body

Some of the greatest minds then like Pythagoras and Aristotle, firmly believed that there is no way that the gods wouldn't create a perfect figure, and in their opinion, the most perfect figure was indeed, a sphere.

later people measured shadows during summer solstice and also calculated Earth's circumference, They use positions of stars and constellations to estimate distances on Earth,

Earth has a diameter of roughly 8 000 miles, and is round because gravity pulls matter into a ball,

Yes people often think of Earth as a gigantic sphere, but its shape is not quite like that,

It is not a perfect sphere! Appearances can be deceiving,

Due to the force caused when Earth rotates, both the North and the South pole are slightly flattened! Earth is really an oblate spheroid, because its spin causes it to be squashed at its poles and swollen at the equator.

But, don't we all know that the Earth is not really a sphere because of the oceans, the mountains, the valleys,

All these features are not part of a sphere or an ellipsoid!

Well, this irregular shaped ball is called Geoid, and a Geoid is used by scientists to more accurately calculate depths of earthquakes for example.

Geoid means model of the figure of Earth that is of the planet's size and shape, that coincides with mean sea level over the oceans,

and continues in continental areas as an imaginary sea level surface defined by spirit level. It serves as a reference surface that can be used to measure precise elevations of Earth's surface features,

Oh well! If only Earth were a perfect a sphere!
#shape_of_earth
#Geoidearth
#flatearth
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