Questions tagged [geodesy]
Geodesy is the science of accurately measuring and understanding three fundamental properties of the Earth: its geometric shape, its orientation in space, and its gravity field as well as the changes of these properties with time.
4 questions
17
votes
3
answers
13k
views
Why is Earth not a sphere?
We've all learned at school that the Earth was a sphere. Actually, it is more nearly a slightly flattened sphere - an oblate ellipsoid of revolution, also called an oblate spheroid. This is an ellipse ...
84
votes
7
answers
60k
views
What place on Earth is closest to the Sun?
What is the location on Earth that is closest to the Sun?
I've seen this question asked many times, and answered in varied and contradictory ways:
The most common answer is “the summit of Chimborazo ...
19
votes
2
answers
669
views
To what accuracy and precision do we know the volume of the Earth?
Satellites such as GOCE and GRACE measure the geoid with unprecedented accuracy. Altimeters can determine local surface elevation with millimetre-precision. This makes me wonder: to what precision ...
6
votes
1
answer
259
views
Why do we measure eustatic sea-level from the center of earth?
Earth is rotating so it has a ellipsoidal shape. The measurement will therefore be different from equator and pole. So why do we measure eustatic sea-level from the center of earth?