The Earth is not a perfect sphere: NASA's gravity field visualization
A new scientific model based on over a billion satellite observations reveals the planet's dynamic changes and presents a gravitational relief of the Earth that differs significantly from the conventional view of a perfect sphere.
The American space agency NASA has published a new 3D visualization that reveals how gravity shapes the Earth, proving that it is far from being a perfect sphere. It is important to emphasize: this is not a real photograph of the planet, but a scientific model known as a "geoid," which is a visual representation of the global gravity field that has received a great deal of attention on social media.
The geoid describes what the surface of the oceans would look like under the influence of gravity alone, without the effects of winds or tides. The irregular shape stems from the uneven distribution of mass deep within the Earth. Dr. Michael Watkins from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory explained that these fluctuations reflect changes in the strength of gravity, rather than the topography of the surface.
The model is based on over a billion observations collected over 15 years from 19 satellites, including NASA's GRACE and the European Space Agency's GOCE. To illustrate the subtle changes, the vertical scale was magnified 10,000 times. The red areas indicate high mass and strong gravity, while the blue areas represent weaker gravity.
Beyond the spectacular appearance, the data reveals that the force of gravity is not constant and changes over time, mainly due to the movement of massive amounts of water in the oceans, glaciers, and continents. The model displays these changes from month to month, proving that the gravity field is dynamic and active—a matter of critical importance for understanding the Earth's climate and the global water balance.
