What If Planets Were Cubes or Triangles?

Planet sizes can be extremely diverse, with some planets being perfectly round while others defy the laws of nature. Imagine if one of these planets decided to break the rules and changed shape. Would we end up with a square planet, triangular moons, or even an intergalactic shape? We can't even imagine the possibilities, so let's find out.

How do planets form in the first place?

The universe is full of swirling clouds of dust and gas. These clouds, called molecular clouds, consist of various elements and compounds such as hydrogen, helium, carbon, oxygen and so on. They're like a cosmic kitchen filled with all the ingredients needed to cook up some brand new planets.

The initial stage in the process of planetary formation is known as the accretion theory. Imagine if something occurs, like a nearby supernova explosion or something similar, it would result in gravitational instability. This instability would cause the gas and dust within the cloud to come together due to gravity, similar to how particles fall towards a central point. As they come closer, they become more tightly packed, just like when you squeeze a ball in your hand. Eventually, the cloud is compressed so intensely that it starts to flatten into a disc shape, resembling the way flour and water combine to form pizza dough. This flattened structure is referred to as a protoplanetary disk.

The Cloud's particles were already spinning, which is why it's also spinning. Just picture these small dust particles and gas molecules twirling around in the disk. Every now and then, they collide and stick together like Velcro, creating these little clumps of dust and gas called planetesimals. These planetesimals are the foundation of planets, and as they keep crashing and combining, they become bigger and bigger, eventually forming protoplanets.

The protoplanets were really getting into their size game, and their gravity started to pack a punch. Some of them grew so big that they became the ultimate rulers of their cosmic neighbourhoods - the planets we adore. Each planet had its own special mix of gases, rocks, and sometimes even water. But why do planets look like a sphere? Well, it's all thanks to gravity.

Imagine you're holding a balloon and squeezing it with your hands. The air inside the balloon pushes back, creating pressure. This is similar to what happens with planets. Gravity pulls the material inward, causing it to compress towards the centre. Since gravity acts equally in all directions, the material is pulled from all sides towards the centre of mass, resulting in a spherical shape. The material then pushes back with pressure, resisting the force of gravity in the end.

They find their sweet spot, which results in hydrostatic equilibrium, which means everything inside is in balance. But that's not all - their rotation also plays a role in making them spherical. Imagine a ball of Play-Doh spinning rapidly - the material pushes outward, causing the Play-Doh to bulge at the equator and flatten at the poles. The same thing happens to planets as they spin on their axes, causing them to bulge at the equator. It's like they low-key want to become discs again!

However, gravity is picky when it comes to planets. It prefers them to be smooth and round, so it constantly tugs on the material, trying to make everything as compact as can be. Eventually, gravity triumphs and the planet takes on a spherical form. Take a look at Jupiter, for instance, the solar system's colossal show-off. It loves flaunting its oblateness, appearing squished at the poles and plump in the middle. It's like a spinning top with an adorable belly.

Saturn, the planet with stunning rings, is also part of the oblate party. Its oblateness is even more noticeable than Jupiter's, as it spins around. These examples demonstrate how rotation can give planets a one-of-a-kind appearance. They transform from being perfectly spherical to having a charming bulge in the center. It's like creating a unique shape through Cosmic Pottery's spinning motion.

Now that you understand why the planets are round, let's explore what would happen if they were different shapes. Imagine if they were cube or triangle-shaped. It's fascinating to think about how the mass would be distributed in such a different way compared to a sphere. And you know what that means? Gravity would be all shook up too! On a spherical planet, gravity pulls everything towards the center because the mass is evenly spread out. However, if we introduce a cube or triangle-shaped planet, things start to get really interesting.

If you're standing in the middle of one of those faces, you'll feel the strongest pull of gravity. That's because those faces are closest to the center of gravity. As you move away from the center and start walking towards the edges, gravity starts messing with you. It's like a tricky game. Walking on those edges feels like climbing a mountain or walking on a super steep slope. Gravity wants you right in the middle of the face and nowhere else.

Imagine the terrain around the edges and corners - it's a barren, rocky, and dry landscape. The reason? All the water collects in the center of each face, leaving the edges high and dry. The air quality is either non-existent or too thin to support life. Definitely not the coziest place to set up camp! Make sure to bring warm clothes, lunch, and hiking boots because the climate is pretty crazy.

The climate you'll experience on our Cube or triangle-shaped Earth depends on how it spins. If it spins at its corners, each side would have a nice and mild temperate climate. However, if it spins on an axis through two of its faces, things get intense. Imagine a roller coaster version of our current climate, some faces would become polar wonderlands, freezing and chilly. The top and bottom faces for the cube and the bottom face for the triangle. Meanwhile, the other sides would be completely different in a cube, they would be scorching hot with an equatorial climate, making you sweat instead of the sunlight gently curving along the surface. It would directly beam onto these faces, talk about feeling the heat.

Imagine a planet shaped like a triangle where the sunlight hits the faces at an angle, creating fascinating temperature variations across the planet. As you move from the base towards the tip, the temperatures gradually decrease. The base, where the sunlight hits most directly, would be the hottest region, similar to the equatorial climate on Earth. However, as you venture towards the tip, the angle of sunlight would be less direct, resulting in cooler temperatures. Unfortunately, the base would still be super cold and dark since the sunlight doesn't directly reach it. Overall, the temperature changes and climate zones on this triangular planet would be absolutely crazy!

By the way, did you know about that cozy blanket of air we have around us called the atmosphere? Well, on our angular Earth, things would get a little topsy-turvy. Gravity would be pulling stronger from the center of each face, resulting in some crazy changes for the atmosphere. Imagine this, at the center of each face where gravity is strongest, the atmosphere would gather and become thicker. It would be like a bustling city full of air molecules. However, as you move towards the edges, things would start to thin out. The atmosphere would become scarce and very thin, making it quite a challenge to breathe along the edges. Life would find it tough to thrive in those neighborhoods.

Moreover, with a thinner atmosphere, there's less shielding from the sun's radiation and solar winds. This makes corners and edges super risky for us humans. But hey, let's not take it too seriously, it's all just a fun thought experiment, right? Our Earth is pretty fond of its roundness, and that's a good thing. But hey, there's no harm in letting our minds wander and dream up some crazy and fantastic possibilities. So go ahead, let your imagination run wild and keep being amazed by the wonders of our incredible planet, no matter what shape it may be!