Linked Questions

-1 votes
2 answers
804 views

Why do planets have spherical shape? [duplicate]

Recently, I finished gravitation. I wonder why the shapes of planets or any body revolving around any star are not cubical or ellipsoidal. In our solar system all the planets are spherical in shape. ...
Prajwal's user avatar
  • 31
0 votes
1 answer
377 views

Why Earth is not a cuboid? [duplicate]

There must be some scientific reasons for why earth is a spheroid but what are they? If Earth would be a cuboid, Would it matter?
user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
198 views

How to derive "a blob of water in space becomes a sphere" analytically? [duplicate]

I'd like to understand better the assertion that planets are spheres because of gravity. The thing which I believe is true, but don't completely get, is that any arrangement of a sufficient number of ...
Eli Rose's user avatar
  • 625
0 votes
4 answers
155 views

What is the real shape of Earth? [duplicate]

As it now widely dicussed and accepted that Earth is not a 'perfectly round sphere/ball but more a 'oblate spheroid' why then do NASA have 'photographs' of a ROUND Earth?
T Ruth's user avatar
  • 11
0 votes
1 answer
99 views

Why most of the things in this universe wants to become Sphere? [duplicate]

in our solar system , every planets revolve in elliptical path and their shapes is almost oval or approaches to Sphere . Sun is also looks like Sphere . Question: Why everything trying to approaches ...
user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
60 views

Shapes of planets? [duplicate]

I was wondering if there was a general explanation as to why it is that all the planets we observe are roughly spherical, and never flat/planar like galaxies. Could there potentially be flat or ...
E.Mynett's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
59 views

Explaining why planets are round [duplicate]

is it possible to prove that planets (and/or stars) are always round (elliptical if you consider the spin)? Is there a set of equation that demonstrate that fluids (after all, molten rocks "floating" ...
Leonardo's user avatar
  • 315
0 votes
0 answers
47 views

Why is Earth a sphere? [duplicate]

Physicists and Physics enthusiasts . I am new to this platform. And I wanted to post a question . Since I have nothing in my mind. I wanted to ask , Why is the earth a sphere and not other shape? ...
rasulus's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
31 views

How to prove that a sphere has the minimum gravitational potential energy for a given volume of uniformly dense material? [duplicate]

Planets are spherical (roughly) in shape because a spherical configuration gives the minimum gravitational potential energy. How does one prove that the sphere is the shape that gives minimum ...
TaeNyFan's user avatar
  • 4,276
158 votes
27 answers
25k views

Simple check for the global shape of the Earth

I have been on a date recently, and everything went fine until the moment the girl has told me that the Earth is flat. After realizing she was not trolling me, and trying to provide her with a couple ...
SBF's user avatar
  • 1,441
18 votes
3 answers
6k views

Why are stars, planets and larger moons (approximately) spherical in shape (like, the Sun, the Moon, the Earth, and other planets)?

Why are stars, planets and larger moons (approximately) spherical in shape (like, the Sun, the Moon, the Earth, and other planets)?
Heet Kansagra's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
2k views

Why are many things in the universe round?

Take a walk outside and you'll realise many things are round. Wheels are round, a cup is round and even that home button on your iPhone is round. But that's all man made. In nature, there are many ...
masterwarrior123's user avatar
8 votes
4 answers
578 views

Why are stars spherical whereas (some) galaxies are disks?

I read here that galaxies become disks if there is a lot of gas in them, since their angular momentum is conserved while their energy decreases due to collisions of the gas particle. I have two ...
Adi Ro's user avatar
  • 685
2 votes
1 answer
591 views

Why is the Earth shaped like a sphere and not any other shape: cube, prism? [duplicate]

Why is the earth shaped like a sphere and not any other shape: cube, prism?
Ankush's user avatar
  • 39
3 votes
1 answer
121 views

How does gravity smooth a planet?

Over time, gravity (on a macro scale) and erosion (on a micro scale) will work together to smooth out a planet. How does the gravity work? Is it like erosion on a massive scale (ie pulling down the ...
amflare's user avatar
  • 145

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