Earth is the third planet from the Sun and is the largest of the terrestrial planets.

Unlike the
other planets in the solar system that are named after classic deities the Earths name comes
from the Anglo-Saxon word erda which means ground or soil. The Earth was formed
approximately 4.54 billion years ago and is the only known planet to support life.
Planet Profile
Mass: 5,972,190,000,000,000 billion kg
Equatorial Diameter: 12,756 km
Polar Diameter: 12,714 km
Equatorial Circumference: 40,030 km
Known Satellites: 1
Notable Satellites: The Moon
Orbit Distance: 149,598,262 km (1 AU)
Orbit Period: 365.26 Earth days
Surface Temperature: -88 to 58C
Size Of The Earth Compared To The Moon

Facts About The Earth
The Earths rotation is gradually slowing:
This deceleration is happening almost imperceptibly, at approximately 17 milliseconds per
hundred years, although the rate at which it occurs is not perfectly uniform. This has the
effect of lengthening our days, but it happens so slowly that it could be as much as 140
million years before the length of a day will have increased to 25 hours.
The Earth was once believed to be the centre of the universe:
Due to the apparent movements of the Sun and planets in relation to their viewpoint, ancient
scientists insisted that the Earth remained static, whilst other celestial bodies travelled in
circular orbits around it. Eventually, the view that the Sun was at the centre of the universe
was postulated by Copernicus and this was eventually shown to be the case.
Earth has a powerful magnetic field:
This phenomenon is caused by the nickel-iron core of the planet, coupled with its rapid
rotation. This field protects the Earth from the effects of solar wind.
There is only one natural satellite of the planet Earth:
As a percentage of the size of the body it orbits, the Moon is the largest satellite of any planet
in our solar system. In real terms, however, it is only the fifth largest natural satellite.
Earth is the only planet not named after a god:
The other seven planets in our solar system are all named after Roman gods or goddesses.
Although only Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn were named during ancient times,
because they were visible to the naked eye, the Roman method of naming planets was
retained after the discovery ofUranus and Neptune.
Of all the planets in our solar system, the Earth has the greatest density:
This varies according to the part of the planet; for example, the metallic core is denser than
the crust. The average density of the Earth is approximately 5.52 grams per cubic centimetre.


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-70% of the Earths surface is covered in water
When astronauts first went into the space, they looked back at the Earth with human eyes for
the first time, and called our home the Blue Planet. And its no surprise. 70% of our planet is
covered with oceans. The remaining 30% is the solid ground, rising above sea level.
-Earth is mostly iron, oxygen and silicon
If you could separate the Earth out into piles of material, youd get 32.1 % iron, 30.1%
oxygen, 15.1% silicon, and 13.9% magnesium. Of course, most of this iron is actually down
at the core of the Earth. If you could actually get down and sample the core, it would be 88%
iron. 47% of the Earths crust consists of oxygen.
-Earth doesnt take 24 hours to rotate on its axis
Its actually 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds. This is the amount of time it takes for the
Earth to completely rotate around its axis; astronomers call this a sidereal day. Now wait a
second, that means a day is 4 minutes shorter than we think it is. Youd think that time would
add up, day by day, and within a few months, day would be night, and night would be day.
-A year on Earth isnt 365 days
Its actually 365.2564 days. Its this extra .2564 days that creates the need for leap years.
Thats why we tack on an extra day in February every year divisible by 4 2004, 2008, etc
unless its divisible by 100 (1900, 2100, etc) unless its divisible by 400 (1600, 2000, etc).
-Earth has 1 moon and 2 co-orbital satellites
As youre probably aware, Earth has 1 moon (The Moon). But did you know there are 2
additional asteroids locked into a co-orbital orbits with Earth? Theyre called 3753 Cruithne