Gravity.
Large astronomical bodies, such as planets and stars, are generally round due to the force of gravity. As these bodies accumulate mass, gravity pulls matter towards the center, creating a shape that minimizes potential energy. This spherical shape allows for uniform distribution of gravitational forces, ensuring stability. Additionally, the fluid nature of materials under high pressure and temperature, particularly in celestial bodies like stars, further promotes a round shape.
Ferdinand Magellan. He also spotted notable galaxies and other celestial bodies.
Planets, moons, and stars are round due to gravity. Gravity pulls objects towards their center of mass, causing them to form into a spherical shape. This is the most stable and efficient configuration for large celestial bodies.
Gravity will keep an object in the shape of a sphere, if the object is sufficiently large and massive, and if it doesn't rotate too fast. If it rotates quickly, it will be an ellipsoid - a flattened sphere. For example, Jupiter's diameter from pole to pole is approximately 10% less than its equatorial diameter, due to its quick rotation.
Planets are large celestial bodies that orbit a star and have cleared their orbit of other objects, while asteroids are smaller rocky or metallic bodies that also orbit a star but have not cleared their orbit. Planets are typically round due to their gravitational pull, while asteroids can have irregular shapes.
The Greek scientist who is credited with demonstrating that the Earth is round was Pythagoras. He believed that the Earth was a sphere based on observations of the shapes of celestial bodies like the moon during lunar eclipses.
The planet Mars is round in shape. All of the planets in our solar system are orbits. The gravitational pull of the sun has formed the planets to be around.
The object being described is a moon. Moons are round celestial bodies that reflect sunlight but do not emit light of their own. They revolve around planets like Earth and are visible in the night sky.
Galileo Galilei did not directly discover that the Earth is round, as this concept was already established by earlier astronomers and philosophers. However, he provided crucial evidence supporting the heliocentric model by using a telescope to observe celestial bodies, such as the phases of Venus and the moons of Jupiter, demonstrating that not all celestial bodies orbit the Earth. His observations contributed to the understanding of the Earth's position in the solar system and its spherical shape, reinforcing the scientific consensus of his time.
500 miles. Example being Vesta. Its around 400 miles and not...yet round.
Aristotle did not believe that the sun goes around the earth. He proposed a geocentric model of the universe where the earth was at the center and celestial bodies moved in circular paths around it.
Gravity played a crucial role in shaping our universe by bringing matter together to form stars, galaxies, and other structures. It continues to govern the motion of celestial bodies, shaping the evolution and dynamics of the universe on a cosmic scale. Without gravity, the universe as we know it would look vastly different.