The geoid is a complicated concept, especially if you’re not one of the several experts I begged to explain it. After all, it’s not a shape we can see naturally. “We cannot measure it,” E.

It may look like a mangled lump of Play-Doh, but this colorful object is actually the most accurate digital model yet of Earth's gravity field, scientists say. Released last week, the gravity map ...

The actual shape in this context can only be seen in a representation of Earth's geoid. The geoid isn't just a topographical map; it's a map of Earth's gravitational field at the surface.