• Question: are all planets round like the the Earth? if they are or aren't why?

    Asked by Flo to Scott, Ry, Maggie on 16 Nov 2017.
    • Photo: Ry Cutter

      Ry Cutter answered on 16 Nov 2017:


      Yes! (Well, all the ones we’ve seen)
      Spheres are the best configuration for particles to fall in. It’s the most compact particles can be in a 3d space! Its the same reason bubbles are round 🙂
      It’s important to note, planets aren’t perfectly round. Because they’re spinning, they bulge out at the sides!
      Some theorists think donut shaped planets can exist, which would be really cool. But we haven’t seen any yet.
      Great Question,
      Ryan

    • Photo: Maggie Lieu

      Maggie Lieu answered on 16 Nov 2017:


      All planets are pretty close to round because of how they form. There is a disk of gas and dust around the sun and the planets form like snowballs, but sucking up the gas and dust as they orbit the sun (see the video below!).

      But planets aren’t perfectly round, the earth is slightly fatter at the middle because it spins. Also there are lots of bumps, there are mountains due to the Earth’s tectonic plates and craters from asteroids that have hit us!

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