Many questions is fraught with the Galaxy, but the shape of the Earth does not cause any doubts.Our planet is in the form of an ellipsoid, that is normal ball, but only slightly flattened near the poles: South and North.This view of Earth was formed for centuries in a difficult confrontation between religion and science.Today, every elementary school student will be able to answer is absolutely right on this issue.
The history of the modern information world
about what form the Earth's true, argued a lot throughout the history of the development of scientific knowledge.Homer suggests that our planet has a kind of circle, and Anaximander argued that it looks like a cylinder.Probably everyone remembers the vivid pictures of satin 5th grade, where the shape of the Earth looks like a disk and is held on a turtle, which relies on three elephants, and so on. D. Once there were even the assumption that our planet is in the form of a boat floating on the boundlessocean or rises above it in the form of the highest mountain!
Different versions of the motion of the Earth
not only a question of the form of our home planet, but also the release of the motion of the Earth underwent many changes in the history of civilization.In the late 19th century it was believed that the earth was all completely motionless.Then, the official science has to adhere to the opinion that the sun moves around the planet, and not vice versa.In a society of different times such a topic as the shape and movement of the earth, not only to agitate the minds of scientists.Otherwise it is impossible to explain the brutal punishment D. Bruno, whose opinion on the motion of the Earth was different at the time from the conventional judgment.Unfortunately, the official science does not always relied on the cutting-edge discoveries and religious beliefs preferred trodden trails reliable.The first lexicographer, who expressed the hypothesis is indeed true motion of our planet around the sun and not vice versa, was the Pole Copernicus.
modern open
more closer to the truth of F. Bessel - German scientist who first calculated the radius of the compression of the Earth at the poles.These figures were obtained in the 19th century and remained unchanged for hundreds of years.Only in the 20th century, FNKrasovsky - Soviet scientist, has published new information that was more accurate figures obtained earlier by his predecessor.Since then, the ellipsoid with the exact dimensions of the planet bears his name.The shape of the Earth really looks like a ball, flattened near the poles, and the difference of the radii - equatorial and polar - is 21 km.This figure remained constant since 1936.
Conclusion
Well, to be more precise, according to the latest scientific data form the earth - the geoid.This is the exact figure, which is more all close to the true model of the Earth.The geoid, as our planet has depressions and elevations.Also research A.Ivanov, the Russian scientist hemisphere do not have symmetry, and the equator - an ellipse, not a circle.That's how science develops, and who knows what else do we know about our own planet in 100 years?In the meantime, in each school's office is familiar all over the globe, in which we learn the secrets of the Earth.
