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"WE HAD ALWAYS ASSUMED THAT THEY WERE SPHERICAL."
Think of all planets as being spheres? It might not be that simple.
Using a supercomputer, a team of astrophysicists have simulated how gas giants like Jupiter grew in the first place — and have concluded that they likely had a flattened shape, kind of like an M&M, during its early days.
"We have been studying planet formation for a long time but never before had we thought to check the shape of the planets as they form in the simulations," said University of Central Lancashire astrophysicist Dimitris Stamatellos, coauthor of a new paper to be published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics Letters, in a statement. "We had always assumed that they were spherical."
"We were very surprised that they turned out to be oblate spheroids, pretty similar to smarties!" he added, referring to the popular chocolate confection that's only available outside the US.
futurism.com
Think of all planets as being spheres? It might not be that simple.
Using a supercomputer, a team of astrophysicists have simulated how gas giants like Jupiter grew in the first place — and have concluded that they likely had a flattened shape, kind of like an M&M, during its early days.
"We have been studying planet formation for a long time but never before had we thought to check the shape of the planets as they form in the simulations," said University of Central Lancashire astrophysicist Dimitris Stamatellos, coauthor of a new paper to be published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics Letters, in a statement. "We had always assumed that they were spherical."
"We were very surprised that they turned out to be oblate spheroids, pretty similar to smarties!" he added, referring to the popular chocolate confection that's only available outside the US.
Jupiter Used to Be Flat, Scientists Suggest
Using a supercomputer, a team of astrophysicists have simulated how young gas giants grow and found that they first have a flattened shape.
futurism.com
