7 Astonishing Facts About Earth That’ll Make You Change How You View Our Planet Forever
Ever stopped to consider the ground you’re walking on? No, not because you tripped on some stray pebble or because the sidewalk had that weirdly satisfying crack in it. I’m talking about the Earth – this big, blue, beautiful ball we call home. We often take it for granted, but our planet is a lot weirder and more wonderful than we give it credit for. In fact, some of Earth’s most mind-blowing secrets are hiding right in plain sight – or just beneath your feet.
So let’s dive in and explore some of the most intriguing lesser-known facts about Earth that will make you look at the ground – and the sky – a little differently.
Earth Isn’t a Perfect Sphere (Sorry, Flat Earthers)
First of all, it is a shape-shifter: Earth is not a perfect sphere. Contrary to what one may have learned in elementary school, our planet is an oblate spheroid. It is slightly squished at the poles and bulges at the equator, much like how we do after Thanksgiving dinner. This difference is very small yet significant: the equatorial diameter is about 42 kilometers larger than the polar diameter.
So, if you were planning on bragging about being closer to the center of the Earth when you are at the equator, go ahead…
