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How come all of the planets are spherical?
No planet is spherical, that would imply they are completely smooth. All Planets are roughly spherical because of the process of planetary formation. That is that asteroids group together under the influence of gravity, this cluster of asteroids would have its own gravitational field, and therefore attract more asteroids. More asteroids means more gravity, which means still more asteroids. So you get this runaway effect where more and more asteroids are being drawn together while the asteroids in the middle are starting to get squashed. Once you have a big enough ball of asteroids it becomes a good estimation to say 'It's roughly spherical'. If the ball is massive enough it can even start pulling in the surrounding gasses, forming an atmosphere.
Are the moons of mars deformed figures?
The moons of Mars are captured asteroids. They are not spherical, but are irregularly shaped, just like most asteroids.
How do planets develop their spherical shape?
Gravity pulls the asteroids into spheres when they get big enough.
What object is least likely to have a spherical shape?
Mercury has about the most perfectly spherical shape, but Saturn has the leastspherical shape (next least spherical is Jupiter).
Why is the earth spherical in shape while most asteroids and comets are not?
Earth is much more massive than asteroids and comets, and thefore has much stronger gravity, which pulls it into a spherical shape. Most asteroids and comets do not have strong enough gravity to do this.
What are asteroids shaped like?
Asteroids have many shapes, depending on their mass or composition. The largest are spherical, but others and elongated spheres, potato shaped and even resemble peanuts. Mostly, they are irregular shaped rocks.
What objects are nearly spherical in shape but share their orbital paths with other objects that are similar in size?
You can't be referring to "asteroids", because only the largest few are spherical, and they vary WIDELY in size and shape. About 60% of all asteroids orbit in the "asteroid belt", an enormous toroidal area between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The other 40% of known asteroids do NOT orbit in the asteroid belt.Probably the answer is "dwarf planets" although they share their orbital neighborhoods rather than their actual orbits.
What is the surface area of an asteroid that is 4 miles across?
If you assume the asteroid is spherical, use the formula for the surface of a sphere: 4 x pi x radius2. However, at such a small size, asteroids will usually not be spherical, so this is just a rough approximation.
How does an asteroid differ from a planet?
A dwarf planet is larger, big enough to make itself into an approximately spherical shape. Asteroids are smaller and more irregular in shape.
How does a dwarf planet differ from an asteroid?
A dwarf planet is larger, big enough to make itself into an approximately spherical shape. Asteroids are smaller and more irregular in shape.
What does a asteroid have a irregular of?
If the asteroid is large, its own gravity will pull it together, into a more or less spherical shape. With smaller asteroids, the gravity is not large enough, and the shape will be irregular.
What do asteroids look like from earth?
All orbits are ellipses.
