hydrostatic equilibrium
Sign in to savein fluid mechanics, state in which compression due to gravity is balanced by a pressure gradient which creates a pressure gradient force in the opposite direction
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Encyclopedic overview
Diagram of a newly formed planet in a state of hydrostatic equilibrium
In fluid mechanics, hydrostatic equilibrium, also called hydrostatic balance and hydrostasy, is the condition of a fluid or plastic solid at rest, which occurs when external forces, such as gravity, are balanced by a pressure-gradient force. In the planetary physics of Earth, the pressure-gradient force prevents gravity from collapsing the atmosphere of Earth into a thin, dense shell, whereas gravity prevents the pressure-gradient force from diffusing the atmosphere into outer space. In general, it is what causes objects in space to be spherical.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “hydrostatic equilibrium” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.