25/07/2026 13:04 - Actualidad
For generations, we were taught that Earth is a perfect sphere or, at best, an ellipsoid slightly flattened at the poles. But the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has once again amazed the world with a revealing animated video that changes this perspective forever. According to the agency on July 25, 2026, our planet has a much more complex and fascinating shape, scientifically known as the geoid.
Scientist Michael Watkins of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) explained that this irregular shape is molded by Earth's own gravity. Because the distribution of materials deep inside the planet is not uniform, the gravitational field exhibits what the expert described as hills and valleys.
In geodetic terms, the geoid is defined as an equipotential surface of Earth's gravitational field. To put it simply: it is the shape that the mean sea level would take if the water remained completely at rest—without waves, winds, or tides—and extended underground beneath the continents.
Because rocks, mountains, and internal layers of Earth have different masses and densities, gravity pulls water with more or less force depending on the region. This creates small but significant variations that determine the true physical structure of our home.
When the images recreated by NASA went viral on social media, comparisons quickly emerged. Many users joked that Earth looked like a bumpy potato due to its noticeable irregularities.
However, Watkins clarified a crucial detail: scientists exaggerate the vertical scale of the geoid by up to 10,000% (between 7,000 and 10,000 times) so that the subtle gravity variations become visible to the naked eye. At real scale, if you could hold the geoid in your hand, its surface would feel as smooth as a billiard ball.
The map showed that the geoid's height varies from a maximum of 85 meters above the reference ellipsoid near Iceland to a minimum of -106 meters below it in southern India.
Watkins explained that Earth has two faces: the one we calculate on paper and the one that actually exists according to the laws of physics. The ellipsoid is a smooth geometric body, similar to a rugby ball, used for calculating coordinates. The geoid, on the other hand, reflects the true physical nature based on gravity.
To achieve this feat, technical teams processed more than 1 billion observations obtained over 15 years from 19 satellites. Key contributions came from missions such as GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) and the global model GOCO06s, which combined data from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Aerospace Center.
These missions mapped Earth's gravitational field with near-millimeter precision, allowing scientists to better understand the hydrological cycle, groundwater availability, and sea level rise.
Sources: Radio 3 Cadena Patagonia, La Voz, Clarín, La Nación
Alfredo S. Quiroga
