Earth Angel

One of our internet friends (and fellow Jonathan Coulton fan) Freecone has posed an interesting question over at Ask.Metafilter.

He asks:
"How would a metal rod with a slightly larger diameter built around the earth react to gravity? Say it's built as to avoid extremes in altitude, mountains and the sort. Would it hover in place, spin at a set point, spin randomly, or buckle? Is there anyway to know the answer other than building one?"

He's even gone so far as to create a sweet infographic to supplement the question.

Check out the ongoing discussion here.