Our Home
Earth, the 3rd planet from the sun, is our home and as far as we know the only planet to host life. Earth is also the only planet with liquid water on the surface in our solar system. Earth is 1 AU (Astronomical Units) away from the sun and is the only planet not named after a Greek or Roman god or goddess. Earth is a rocky terrestrial planet like the other inner planets and has one moon.
Earth Facts
-
Water covers 70 percent of Earth's surface with the oceans having an average depth of 2.5 miles.
-
Oceans accoutn for 97% of the water on Earth
-
-
Earth's atmosphere is made mostly of nitrogen and has plenty of oxygen for us to breathe.
-
Earth's atmosphere near the surface is composed of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% other gasses such as argon, carbon dioxide, and neon.
-
We have four seasons due to the 23 degree tilt of the Earth on its axis
-
Earth is the 5th largest planet in the Solar System but is the largest terrestrial planet
-
Earth completes a rotation on its axis every 23.9 hours (a day) while also orbits the sun which it completes every 365.25 days (a year).
-
Earth is composed of four main layers, starting with an inner core at the planet's center, enveloped by the outer core, mantle and crust.
-
Earth formed when gravity pulled swirling gas and dust in to become the third planet from the Sun.
-
Because of the rapid rotation of the planet, Earth has a magnetosphere which makes compass needles point north and south.
-
When the solar wind (a stream of charged particles continuously ejected from the Sun) collides with the magnetosphere and becomes trapped it collides with air molecules above the magnetic poles creating the aurorae (northern and southern lights).