Gravity Satellite views "Potato Earth"

Great find by the way,good to see the europeans making a mark in astrophysics.

Originally posted by Slipdig1
Okay I don't understand? When we see pictures taking from the moon or space or Astronauts or whatever, the Earth is round. So is the oceans making it look more flat? Or is this not the actual shape of the planet? Can someone please enlighten me?

The Earth is almost a perfect (but elliptical) sphere this is like a graph that shows lumps where gravity is stronger. This is NOT what the Earth actually looks like in space...

Wil the stronger gravity area have a diferent effect on the people who are born there, than the people born in weaker gravity areas?

The poles must create the potatoe shape

reply to post by Hundroid


Hey, that might explain why Africans are tall and Asians are short..

reply to post by Hundroid


Kinda reminds me of a horus and grommit skit or a claymation earth model. Then again it could be bruises and zits on our planet

reply to post by backinblack

Hey, that might explain why Africans are tall and Asians are short.

I remember to have been reading somewhere (sorry, no link) that alleged giants living on our planet were probably so tall and big because Earth was much smaller than it is now.

Originally posted by ThePeopleParty
Wil the stronger gravity area have a diferent effect on the people who are born there, than the people born in weaker gravity areas?

I was wondering the same thing. Kind of like if you were born in a high altitude area, your lung capacity would naturally be different than if you were born in a low altitude. It would have to be to compensate for the difference in the amount of air you're breathing.

Interesting stuff.

Originally posted by DamaSan
Anyone else notice the gravity "hole" at the Southern tip of India? Weakest gravity on the planet, it would seem.

Yep... when I saw this image last year I wondered... Did something exit or enter at that point. Its approx 1000 klms wide. Could that have been what caused the continent of India to accelerate (known to have been the fastest moving continent) into China and created the Himalayas. If something entered there, (Like a golf ball thrown into mud) is that what caused the dramatic crustal folds/formations around the Indonesian/Taiwan area after impact which have continued to fold over the top of the sub ducting Pacific Plate? The north/western fold of the sub ducting Pacific Plate is angled toward the point of India. The Subduction fold of Indonesia to Fiji is also, though off by some degree probably from the upward push of the Australian Plate that created New Guinea and its highlands.

Did it alter the track of the hot spot, currently under Hawaii, from a north/south journey to a south/eastern direction?

Anyway its very interesting to ponder this anomaly. Obviously I'd need to research into time lines of geological events thoroughly.