Abstract
By means of the comparison between dynamical figures of Venus and the Earth, we confirmed that the nonhydrostatic moment difference ratios of the two celestial bodies are approximately equal. The hydrostatic flattening of the external equipotential surface of Venus according to the theory of internal field is equal to about 6 × 10−8, but the observed value of Venusian equatorial flattening is equal to 6.8 × 10−6. The latter is two orders of magnitude more than the former. These facts indicate that Venus itself is far from hydrostatic equilibrium.
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Zhang, C.Z. A comparison between Venus and the Earth. Earth Moon Planet 75, 135–139 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00054509
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00054509