Potato radius

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The potato radius is the size at which an asteroid is massive [1] enough that gravity begins to make it rounder. [2] The potato radius defines hydrostatic equilibrium and is used to separate dwarf planets from small Solar System bodies. [3] [4] Charles Lineweaver and Marc Norman at the Australian National University in Canberra first proposed an objective definition of a planet that separates potato-like objects from spherical ones. [5] [6] [7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Hall, Ian. "What Makes Earth A Planet, Not A Potato?". The Average Scientist .co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  2. ↑ "Potato radius". BBC Sky at Night Magazine. The Sky at Night, BBC. 9 January 2025. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  3. ↑ Caplan, M. E. (November 2015). "Calculating the Potato Radius of Asteroids using the Height of Mt. Everest". arXiv: 1511.04297 [physics.ed-ph].
  4. ↑ Lineweaver, Charles H.; Norman, Marc (2010). "The potato radius: A lower minimum size for dwarf planets" (PDF). In Short, W.; Cairns, I. (eds.). Proceedings of 2009 Australian Space Science Conference. National Space Society of Australia. pp. 67–78. arXiv: 1004.1091 . ISBN   9780977574032. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Picking Planets from Potatoes". phys.org . Astrobiology Magazine. April 26, 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  6. ↑ "'Potato Radius' To Define Dwarf Planets". MIT Technology Review . Emerging Technology from the arXiv. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  7. ↑ Nerlich, Steve (April 17, 2010). "Astronomy Without A Telescope – One Potato, Two Potato". Universe Today. Retrieved 1 August 2025.


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