The true shape of the Earth

[Mad_Aussie]

http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/04/earths-true-shape-revealed-for-1st-time.html

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After two years in orbit, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) is nearing the end of its planned life span in February, producing the most accurate map ever of the so-called geoid -- an Earth-encompassing spirit level and global reference surface. An unused supply of xeon fuel will allow the mission to be extended until at least the end of 2012.

Markedly different from a simple sphere or ellipsoid, the geoid is the mathematically 'true' shape of Earth. It represents a motionless global ocean but takes into account the effects of the Earth’s rotation, weight difference resulting from the position of mountains and ocean trenches, and uneven mass distribution and density variations in the planet’s interior.

The resulting small variations in the Earth’s gravitational field feature on the geoid as ‘bulbs’ and ‘dips’ in an idealized ‘ocean’ surface.

ESA scientists presented the latest version of the GOCE-derived geoid map –- based on eight months of data processed so far –- at a user workshop this week in Munich, Germany.

The Daily Galaxy via ESA

Looks to be a bit on the piss...

[R3N]

Its flat, idiot

[Firstround]

Its flat, idiot

<3

[tinto]

http://www.adventuretrading.com/footbags/crochet/full/G1Earth.jpg

[Buckets]

Its flat, idiot

Fucking lol...

On a serious note how the fuck does this work. If some blokes can take a few photos of the earth from the moon and it looks pretty round how can it wind up on the piss? Maybe as usual I'm missing something here.

Edit: Who the fuck cares it's still actually round.

[180SXTCY]

^its cos the blokes never went to the moon

[Firstround]

Fucking lol...

On a serious note how the fuck does this work. If some blokes can take a few photos of the earth from the moon and it looks pretty round how can it wind up on the piss? Maybe as usual I'm missing something here.

Edit: Who the fuck cares it's still actually round.



i wanna say something about water covering so much that it evens out enough of the surface or mabe that the Gases in our atmosphere would give the illusion of a smoother surface.... but i never went to uni so thats just a guess

[newbie101]

best one I ever heard, was of a flat land believer being shown a picture of earth, taken from the moon. his response was "i never said it wasnt a circle"

think about it.

[R3N]

best one I ever heard, was of a flat land believer being shown a picture of earth, taken from the moon. his response was "i never said it wasnt a circle"

think about it.

I rest my point

[JNR man]

+1

[pgc]

Check the date this was posted.

[Jiblet]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoid

Interesting... but it is only relevant to things that we (general public) don't really care about.

[Mad_Aussie]

Check the date this was posted.

Was posted by the GOCE well before April 1st man, and the satellite has been in orbit for nearly a year...

[GhostFc3s]

it looks circular from the moon because you are seeing the earth and the atmosphere, the atmosphere would look more circular whilst the actual surface of the earth is as displayed above.

[pgc]

Was posted by the GOCE well before April 1st man, and the satellite has been in orbit for nearly a year...

Xeon fuel?

I'm not sure about you, but I thought Xeon was a processor.

[Jiblet]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenon

Xenon is the preferred fuel for ion propulsion of spacecraft because of its low ionization potential per atomic weight, and its ability to be stored as a liquid at near room temperature (under high pressure) yet be easily converted back into a gas to fuel the engine

Edit:

The geoid is that equipotential surface which would coincide exactly with the mean ocean surface of the Earth, if the oceans were in equilibrium, at rest (relative to the rotating Earth), and extended through the continents (such as with very narrow canals).

"a smooth but highly irregular surface that corresponds not to the actual surface of the Earth's crust, but to a surface which can only be known through extensive gravitational measurements and calculations."

This is just a model of the average ocean surface on Earth, with pretty colours and wow factor.

[pgc]

Ah, so it was a spelling error.

Fair enough. I thought it was odd, given the fact it was posted on April 1.

[stormtrooper]

Duel core fuel cells watch out!

[esky]

whilst the actual surface of the earth is as displayed above.

No it isn't.

A geoid is a mathematical representation based on earth's density and gravity. It does not depict the physical shapes of the earth.

from wikipeadia
According to C.F. Gauss, who first described it, it is the "mathematical figure of the Earth", a smooth but highly irregular surface that corresponds not to the actual surface of the Earth's crust, but to a surface which can only be known through extensive gravitational measurements and calculations.

[AndrewT]

best one I ever heard, was of a flat land believer being shown a picture of earth, taken from the moon. his response was "i never said it wasnt a circle"

think about it.

lol yes, "The Earth is round....yet flat. I call it The Pizza Theory".

[scj91]

It looks like a giant anus..maybe it's trying to tell us something

[wormbo2]

....I see Uranus jokes coming to head soon.

[V70R]

What happened to the Himalayas?

[TheChad]

at about 35 seconds you are looking straight up the worlds shitter...

if i wanted to look at that shit i would go back to staring under my cats tail..

[kurbn]

it looks circular from the moon because you are seeing the earth and the atmosphere, the atmosphere would look more circular whilst the actual surface of the earth is as displayed above.

bingo! notice there is height where mountains are

[Dagon]

lol yes, "The Earth is round....yet flat. I call it The Pizza Theory".The world is flat, circular, and rests on the back of four giant elephants, which stand on the back of Great A'Tuin, the Star Turtle. (http://freespace.virgin.net/tony.fisk2/janescakes/discworld/_wp_generated/pp8ecec282.jpg) I thought everyone knew this as fact.

[Mad_Aussie]

The world is flat, circular, and rests on the back of four giant elephants, which stand on the back of Great A'Tuin, the Star Turtle. (http://freespace.virgin.net/tony.fisk2/janescakes/discworld/_wp_generated/pp8ecec282.jpg) I thought everyone knew this as fact.

I don't believe in Turtles.