Geophysics Figure of the Earth and geodesy Concept
Reference ellipsoid
Summary
A reference ellipsoid is an oblate ellipsoid of revolution chosen to approximate the shape of the Earth. It is fixed by two numbers, usually the semi-major axis and the flattening . It is the surface on which geodetic coordinates are defined, and the reference for heights and gravity formulas. Widely used examples are GRS 80 and WGS 84, both with m.
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| Tag | R9XX7TNJCH |
|---|---|
| URI | m2://R9XX7TNJCH |
| Kind | concept |
| Writing | W0 stub |
| MSC | 86A30 |
| Same as | |
| Changed | 3 November 2026 |
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Definitions
Used by
- Geoid
- Gravity anomaly
- Figure of the Earth
- Bruns formula
- Geodetic coordinates
- Map projection
- Free-air anomaly
- Geodesics on an ellipsoid
- Deflection of the vertical
- Geodetic datum
- Normal gravity and Somigliana's formula