The 'geoid': Why NASA’s gravity model makes Earth look like a potato

What is the Geoid: NASA's map of the impact of gravity on the Earth that shows the blue planet as a lumpy potato

NASA's geoid model shows Earth's gravity shaping a hypothetical global ocean. This model exaggerates gravitational differences by ten thousand times for visibility. Gravity varies across the planet due to uneven mass distribution and density variations. The geoid rises near Iceland and dips south of India significantly. This visualization uses satellite data gathered over fifteen years.

The 'geoid': Why NASA’s gravity model makes Earth look like a potato

Mapping Earth’s gravity, NASA has released a visualisation of the geoid — the apparent real shape of our planet given the global ocean surface if it were exclusively under the influence of gravity and Earth’s rotation.