The earth bulges around its equator by about twenty-seven extra miles, which is a three-tenths percent difference from its diameter measured pole-to-pole. The biggest planets in our solar system have even more dramatic love handles. Jupiter’s equator is seven percent larger and Saturn’s is eleven percent. How Does This Happen? Think of the merry-go-round you find at playgrounds. The faster the dish spins, the harder it is for the kids on the outside to hold on. Kids in the middle have no trouble, because they are just turning around in one spot. Kids on the rim feel themselves flung outward. Same with a planet. As it rotates, the poles are just turning in a circle. But the equatorial areas are being flung away. Over time an equatorial bulge develops. In some cases, such as Jupiter and Saturn, the bulge is so big it’s visible to the naked telescope. How embarrassing.