The European Space Agency makes a joke about April 1 and publishes a picture of what the Earth looks like

Even the European Space Agency (ESA) joined in and ran the April 1 Games job On his X account (formerly Twitter), he stated that analysis of new data from the foundation indicated that the Earth would have the shape of an Easter egg.

A few hours later, the profile posted another post saying: “Of course, the Earth isn't shaped like an Easter egg. Technically, it's not round. But it's definitely not flat.”

The publication explained that the correct term to determine the shape of the planet is the geoid shape, which resembles an ellipse. In other words, it is as if there was a weight on top of the ball that caused it to flatten. Meanwhile, this ellipse has an uneven surface.

The diameter of the planet expands near the equator due to the movement of the Earth's rotation – around its axis. However, an ellipse is also not enough to accurately explain the planet's shape, because it contains everything from high mountains to ocean depressions, bringing variations to its surface.

A geodesic refers to a kind of imaginary line at sea level, which is wavy. Using complex mathematics and gravity readings, surveyors extended this imaginary line to include continents as well. This helps to better understand ocean currents and monitor changes in sea level. In addition, this format is used as a reference for construction and leveling.

Geodesics and gravity

Gravity differences create different levels of the ocean, and if there were no currents or tides, the sea would have an undulating appearance, as represented by the geodesic figure.

According to the European Space Agency, the scientific community believed for a long time that the intensity of the gravitational force was the same for the entire planet, but with the advent of more sophisticated and sensitive instruments, it was realized that this is not true. .

Near the equator, for example, the force of gravity is weaker than at the far reaches of the planet, because the most central region of the globe is far from the Earth's interior.

The asymmetry of the planet's surface, as well as deposits of oil and other minerals, affects different gravitational accelerations. Moreover, the distribution of materials within the Earth is not uniform.