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When sufficient material coalesce (clump together) in space, the favored shape is a sphere.

With asteroids & comets, there is usually insufficient mass to form a spherical shape due to gravity. This is why such objects can have a variety of shapes, like that of a potato or even craggy stalactite-like formations.

If such objects obtain enough mass, the mutual attraction of gravity will cause them to assume a spherical shape.

To be 100% accurate, planets like Mars, Earth, Jupiter, etc..., are generally spherical in shape, but would be better described as an "oblate spheroid," or a slightly, flattened sphere.

Due to the rotation of a planet on its axis, the equatorial diameter is usually a little greater than the north-south diameter. This rotation imparts a (very) slight centrifugal force, which would be greatest at the equator.

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13y ago

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