But why are they round instead of having other shapes? In this article, we will explore the factors that contribute to the spherical nature of planets, focusing on the force of gravity and the distribution of mass.
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The Sun and all eight planets in the solar system exhibit a spherical shape. This is primarily due to the gravitational force exerted by their massive bodies, which pulls all the matter towards their centers, flattening out any irregularities. Smaller objects within the solar system may not be perfectly spherical because their gravitational forces are insufficient to reshape their forms.
This can be observed through the escape velocity of objects. To escape Earth’s gravitational pull, one would need to travel at a speed of 11 km/s or approximately 40,000 km/h, a velocity achievable only by the largest spacecraft. With a mass of 6 x 10^24 kg, Earth’s gravity has shaped it into a nearly spherical form. In contrast, to escape the gravitational pull of Comet 67P, which was visited by the European Space Agency’s Rosetta and Philae spacecraft, one would only need to move at a speed of 1 m/s. This is a speed that can be surpassed with a simple jump. Comet 67P is not spherical; it has a mass of 10^13 kg, which is a billion times lighter than Earth, and has a shape resembling a rubber duck.
As the diameter of an object exceeds several hundred kilometers, it tends to become more spherical. In our example, Earth has a diameter of approximately 12,700 km, while Comet 67P has a diameter of about 4 km.
While it remains uncertain, some scientists have pondered what a cubical planet would look like. Assuming that most of the planet’s rock would maintain its cubic structure, the atmosphere and water would not possess such magical properties and would be confined to the central regions of each cube face. Life would be limited to the shores of central lakes, with the edges and corners of the cubes forming insurmountable mountain ranges.(According to Britannica)