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One of the criteria to be a planet or even a dwarf planet is that the object has enough mass to gravitationally contract itself into a sphere. When the gravitation is high enough it overcome the rigidity of rock to hold a non-spherical shape. This is only a matter of degree of course as there are plenty of mountains on all planets that defy the general definition.
What else can I help you with?
What is the only planet that is not spherical in shape?
All planets are 'round' because of gravity. With the formation of the Solar System, gravity gathered gas and dust into clumps which became larger and eventually planets. The collision of these pieces caused planets to become hot and molten and gravity pulled the molten material towards the planet's centre in the shape of a sphere. The planets cooled and remained spherical
Is this true or false the electron probability cloud for atomic orbitals are spherical in shape?
It is true only for s-orbital which is spherical in shape. p-, f- and d- orbitals are not spherical in shape.
How is the earth similar to other planets?
well the Earth is not exactly the same to other planets actually, it is the same because they're all parts of the solar system and they pretty much spin in the same direction but their features/characteristics are not much similar. Neither it is in size nor in appearance sooo....Hope this helps !!
Interesting facts about the earth?
Only planet to support life (known life that is) only planet with liquid water isn't a precise spherical shape
What are six different proofs that the shape of the earth is a sphere?
1. Earth's shadow on the moon (at lunar eclipse) is always circular. 2. The position of the sun and the stars depends on the position on earth, thus earth has to be curved. 3. Magellan sailed around Earth. 4. Yuri Gagarin orbited Earth in space. 5. Pictures of Earth taken from the Moon impressively demonstrate the shape of Earth 6. The rotation of Earth can be proven with Foucault's pendulum 7. Astronomical observations show that all the other planets are spheres, it is very likely that the Earth is a sphere too
Are the planets' moons all spherical?
No. Only the larger moons are spherical. Smaller moons do not have strong enough gravity to make themselves round and so are irregular in shape. Perfect example are Phobos and Deimos, the two tiny moons that orbit Mars.
How do planets becomes spherical?
The quick layman's answer is 'gravity'. Imagine an object with the same over-all density and mass as the earth, only it is in the shape of a solid cylinder 100 miles in diameter. It would be (for just a brief moment) like a wire stretched out over a very long distance. It could never maintain such a shape; the object would still have gravity, and the ends would quickly and catastrophically collapse toward the center. This would be quite a thing to witness. By the time all the crashing and exploding comes to an end, the mass would be roughly spherical. This is just to visually illustrate the idea of gravity pulling the mass into a spherical shape; in fact some of the impacts may be so great that some of the material might be propelled at such a velocity that it would never return.
What do the moon and the earth have in common only?
Both the moon and the Earth are celestial bodies that are part of our solar system. They are both spherical in shape and are held in orbit by gravitational forces.
What is the size and shape for Venus?
If you mean the shape of the orbit, it's an ellipse.
How many planets are in the earth group?
There is only one planet in the Earth group, which is Earth itself.
Explain how an eclipse is evidence of the Earth being spherical in shape?
During an eclipse of the moon, the edge of Earth's shadow is always the arc of a circle. Only spheres casts circular shadows; a flat surface would not do so.
What was Aristotles basis for believing that the earth was spherical?
First he realised that eclipses of the moon were caused by the earth coming between the sun & the moon. The earth's shadow on the moon was always round, which would be true only if the earth was spherical.
