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Astronomy Archive
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Earth: Round or Egg-shaped?
Author: jason p brechin
I would like to know if the Earth is really not round, but elliptical as
some say.
Response #: 1 of 1
Author: richard a gerber
The Earth is not quite spherical, due to what is know as "rotational
flattening." It is not egg-shaped, either, it is shaped more like a
pumpkin. The radius of the Earth at the equator is 6,378 km; at the poles
it is 6,356 km.
Jupiter, which rotates once every 10 hours, is even much squashed than the
Earth. Jupiter's equatorial radius is 70,850 km; it is polar radius is
66,550 km.
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