Even from space, you wouldn't detect something important about Earth's shape: It's not perfectly round. It's actually a slightly oblate spheroid, or an ellipsoid .

Ever since the ancient Greeks first made observations of the circular Moon and the skies, scientists have known that the Earth is a sphere.We’ve all seen beautiful images of the Earth from space, some ...

Even the Ancient Greeks worked out that the Earth was round 2,000 years ago.

As countless photos from space can attest, Earth is round—the "Blue Marble," as astronauts have affectionately dubbed it. Appearances, however, can be deceiving. Planet Earth is not, in fact ...

Gravity is too weak to pull the Earth into a perfect sphere, but it also isn't the only force affecting a planet's shape. In 1671 , astronomer Jean Richter traveled from Paris, France, to Cayenne ...

International astronomers have for the first time witnessed the birth of a planetary system beyond Earth's sun that could one ...

To understand why, we have to go all the way back to the birth of a planet—about 4.5 billion years in Earth’s case. Planets form in clouds of dust around new stars.

Earth is the only planet known to support life. Learn about what Earth is made of and where it came from. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s ...

The only way to see the curve of the Earth is to fly more than 6 miles (10 kilometers) above its surface. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s ...