Sun oblateness most spherical natural object

The Sun is almost a perfect sphere

~8 parts per million

The Sun rotates, so its equator should bulge slightly outward. But measurements show that the difference between its equatorial and polar radii is extraordinarily small. Despite being a turbulent ball of hot plasma, the Sun is far closer to a perfect sphere than many familiar rotating objects.

Russia’s only other northern port froze

9 months a year

Peter the Great sought a Baltic seaport because Arkhangelsk, Russia’s only other northern port, was icebound for nine months a year, while Sweden blocked access to the Baltic. The Great Northern War secured Russia’s access to the sea.

The famous Hawthorne effect rests on disputed evidence

The Hawthorne effect is the idea that people change their behavior simply because they know they are being studied. It is often traced to factory experiments in which productivity appeared to rise during changes in working conditions. But later researchers questioned the original data and interpretations. The effect became a famous lesson in research methods even though its classic evidence is far less conclusive than textbooks sometimes suggest.

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Sun oblateness most spherical natural object

The Sun is almost a perfect sphere

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