(ORDO NEWS) — Exploring the solar system and looking beyond it, we find that objects are mostly spherical, and the larger the object, the more spherical it becomes. Why are there no cubic planets?
Planets are spherical due to their gravitational field
As a planet forms, becoming more and more massive, internal heating kicks in and the planet behaves like a liquid in a sense.
Gravity then pulls all of the material toward the center of mass (the core). Because all points on the surface of a sphere are the same distance from the center of mass, the planets eventually take on a spherical shape.
In order for an object to become spherical, it must be massive enough so that gravity can “pull” it into a sphere, smoothing out the bumps.
For example, asteroids – even relatively very large ones – have insufficient mass, so gravity can only give them a “round” shape (roughly speaking, they are oval).
However, it is worth noting that since the planets rotate, they are not perfect spheres and actually “fatten” at the equator.
Can a cubic planet exist?
In the case of cubes, the corners are farther from the center of mass than the rest of the cube. Therefore, in the case of such massive cosmic bodies as a planet or a star, the corners “collapse” under their own weight, and the object acquires a spherical shape.
Thus, no matter how cool a cubic planet is in our imagination, it simply cannot exist. Well, correction: a cubic planet could probably be created by some progressive extraterrestrial civilization, but without outside help, this is impossible in our Universe.
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