The shape of our planet is round. That is a proven fact. However, it has recently been discovered that this was not always the case and that, at its creation, the Earth was slightly different.
According to the findings of a group of researchers from the British university UCLan (University of Central Lancashire), in the beginning our planet had a much flatter shape, looking a lot like a “smartie”, the famous chocolate dragees.
To reach this conclusion, researchers used computer simulations to derive models of planet formation. Through these simulations, they realized that the planets when they circled the stars had flat, non-spherical shapes.
But how were these models developed that allowed such a conclusion to be reached? To do this, the team used the so-called disk instability theory, in which planets are created in relatively short periods of time through the fragmentation of extensive rotating disks composed of dense gas and dust particles, which surround stars in their stages. initial stages of development.
One of those responsible for the study, Dimitris Stamatellos, revealed to the Daily Mail that these young planets are actually flattened spheres. That is, at their creation, the planets look like spheres compressed at the top and bottom, being more prominent in the middle. The shape of a smartie.
“We have been studying the formation of planets for a long time, but never before had we thought about checking their shape as they form in simulations. We always assumed that they were spherical and were very surprised to discover that they were flattened spheres, very similar to Smarties”, says the researcher to the British newspaper.
But the news doesn’t stop there. Still according to Dimitris Stamatellos, no planet is completely spherical. Even today, the Earth is 0.3% flat and planets like Jupiter and Saturn have, respectively, 6% and 10% of their surfaces flat. The youngest planets are 90% flat.
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2024-02-11 12:48:33
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