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The name for our planet's shape is an 'oblate spheroid', which is like a sphere squashed slightly in one direction (like if you press down on a soccer ball on the floor; Smarties are also oblate spheroids but squashed down a lot more than the earth.) If the earth didn't spin around once a day it would be a sphere since gravity has been working long enough on the planet, and it pulls all parts of the planet inwards equally so eventually it ends up mostly spherical (after some stages in the evolution of the solar system). But since it also spins, the centrifugal force is greatest around the equator, so it pulls the middle of the earth out slightly into a bulge. I may be wrong, but i think this is a characteristic common to all of the planets in the solar system, maybe barring Uranus, since its axis of rotation points towards the sun. Hope this helps ;)
From Dr Octavian.
What else can I help you with?
The suns gravitational pull causes the earth and other planets to the sun?
Yes, the sun's gravitational pull is what keeps Earth and the other planets in our solar system in orbit around it. This gravitational force is what maintains the planets' paths and prevents them from moving off into space.
Does the earth and other planets revolve around the sun?
Yes, the Earth and other planets in our solar system revolve around the Sun in elliptical orbits due to the force of gravity. This orbital motion is what causes the planets to move in their respective paths around the Sun.
What is the actual shape of the Earths orbit around the Sun?
The actual shape of the earth's orbit around the sun is horrendously complicated. Partly because the earth does not orbit the sun and also because the orbit is influenced by the the gravitational attraction of the other planets. The earth does not orbit the sun: the centre of mass of the earth-sun system is at one of the foci of an ellipse whose eccentricity is 0.0167. The eccentricity varies from 0.0034 to 0.058.
What shape are sun earth and other planets?
The sun is a sphere, while planets are generally spherical in shape due to gravity pulling their mass evenly in all directions. Some planets have slight deviations from a perfect sphere due to rotation or geological activity, but they are still predominantly spherical in shape.
How does the gravity of the sun impact on earth?
The sun's gravity keeps the earth and the other planets in orbit around it
What shape of a sun and earth and other planets?
sphere
The Sun the earth and remaining planets are roughly in shape?
the sun earth and the remaining planets are roughly spherical in shape.
The suns gravitational pull causes the earth and other planets to the sun?
Yes, the sun's gravitational pull is what keeps Earth and the other planets in our solar system in orbit around it. This gravitational force is what maintains the planets' paths and prevents them from moving off into space.
What shape are The Sun - the Earth - and Mars?
The Sun and its planets are all basically spheres. The earth is an 'oblate sphere' - that it, it is flattened at the poles.
What has to do with the sun?
earth and all the other planets
About the distance of the earth from the sun its size shape age inclimation density and other properties?
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Sun&Display=Facts
What are Earth and the other planets closest to the sun are made mostly?
Earth and the other planets are mostly made of rock.
Does the earth and other planets revolve around the sun?
Yes, the Earth and other planets in our solar system revolve around the Sun in elliptical orbits due to the force of gravity. This orbital motion is what causes the planets to move in their respective paths around the Sun.
Name of the orbit around the sun?
The SHAPE of the orbit the Earth and most planets and other bodies of mass in space are usually elliptical.
In what type of system do the Earth Sun planets and stars revolve?
The Sun, Earth and other planets, along with many other items are part of a Solar System.
What is the actual shape of the Earths orbit around the Sun?
The actual shape of the earth's orbit around the sun is horrendously complicated. Partly because the earth does not orbit the sun and also because the orbit is influenced by the the gravitational attraction of the other planets. The earth does not orbit the sun: the centre of mass of the earth-sun system is at one of the foci of an ellipse whose eccentricity is 0.0167. The eccentricity varies from 0.0034 to 0.058.
Why does earth and all other planets orbit the sun?
Without the planets orbiting the sun all the planets would be cold and dark
