Why are planets not spherical?

Planets are round because their gravitational field acts as though it originates from the center of the body and pulls everything toward it. As a result, these bodies do not form spheres. Rather they maintain irregular, fragmentary shapes.

Which planet is the least spherical?

Saturn
Saturn is the most oblate of the gaseous planets. This means that it is the least spherical; its equatorial diameter is larger than its polar diameter.

Why all planets are spherical in shape?

All of the planets are round because of gravity. The force of the collision of these pieces caused the newly forming planets to become hot and molten. The force of gravity, pulled this molten material inwards towards the planet’s center into the shape of a sphere. Later, when the planets cooled, they stayed spherical.

Is Jupiter a perfect sphere?

Observations with even a small telescope show that Jupiter is not a sphere. It has a perceptible bulge around its equatorial middle and is flattened at the poles. This elongated oblate shape is caused by Jupiter’s rapid spin.

What would it take to make a planet that is not spherical?

In our universe, the laws of gravity work in such a way that a sphere is the most stable shape for anything with mass. In order to get a planet that is not spherical you will therefore need at least one of two things: A means by which gravity can be locally canceled to allow for stable shapes other than spheres.

Are there any planets that are perfect spheres?

None of the planets in our solar system are perfect spheres, nor for that matter is our sun. All those bodies could more accurately be described as “oblate spheroids.” Objects with this shape bulge slightly around the middle.

Which planet is the least spherical in shape?

The planet which is least spherical is Saturn, whose diameter at the equator is 11,808 km wider than its diameter from pole to pole. The IAU definition of a planet includes that it must be in hydrostatic equilibrium, which means that its shape must at least be close to a sphere.

Is it possible for a non-spheroid planet to exist?

It’d be possible for one to exist for a time, but a naturally occurring, non-spheroid planet would be incredibly unlikely. More on that at the end. It’s an easy thing to imagine of course, but that’s because we think of things like cube shaped rocks that occur naturally and think ‘why not?’.