Oblate Spheroid
A sphere flattened such that its polar diameter is smaller than its equatorial diameter.
Oblateness ...
on the outside, an oblate spheroid which coincides with the event horizon at the poles and is noticeably wider around the "equator".
oblate spheroid An ellipsoid of revolution, the shorter axis of which is the axis of revolution. An ellipsoid of revolution, the longer axis of which is the axis of revolution, is called a prolate spheroid.
This difference is accentuated by the shape of the earth, which is nearly that of an oblate spheroid of revolution slightly depressed at the poles.
Until 1975, most astronomers viewed elliptical galaxies as oblate spheroids flattened by rotation.
Its shape is that of an oblate spheroid, with most of the stars lying within 20 light-years of the center.
The Earth is not a perfect sphere but an oblate spheroid, with an equatorial diameter about 43 kilometers larger than its polar diameter.
Because of its rapid rotation, Jupiter's shape is that of an oblate spheroid (it possesses a slight but noticeable bulge around the equator).
The larger objects in this range, such as Tethys, 1 Ceres, and Mimas, have relaxed to an equilibrium oblate spheroid due to their gravity, while the less massive (e. g. Amalthea and Janus) are roughly rounded, but not spherical, dubbed "irregular".
The Earth has a nonspherical shape, being oblate spheroid, bulging outward at the equator. The gravitational tidal forces of the Moon and Sun apply torque as they attempt to pull the equatorial bulge into the plane of the ecliptic.
The shape of the planet is a markedly oblate spheroid with a polar diameter some 10% smaller than that at the equator. Saturn is the least dense of all the planets its mean density being only 0.7 times that of water.
Most probably, before tiles fell of grinding tool, they were already flopping a bit and that created oblate spheroid figure. It seemed to me that I shoulod be able to polish it out anyway.
Its rotational period is only 9 hours, which forces its shape into an oblate spheroid, with its polar axis shorter than the diameter of the equator. Together with [441] beta Aquilae, and [436] gamma Aquilae, Altair forms the Shaft of Aquila.
As a result of this equatorial bulge the earth is often refereed to as an oblate spheroid rather than a sphere. The gravitational pull on the bulge has a gradual but definite affect on the earth causing a change in the earth's axis of rotation.
 See also: Earth, Sun, Second, Force, Time
  
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