Earth

Quick Facts About the Earth

Distance from the Sun:

149.6 million km

Mass:

60w/oe 27th grams

Density:

55g/cm3

Rotational Period:

23.93 hrs

Equatorial Diameter:

12756 km

# of Satellites

1- the moon

# of Rings

0

Earth is the only planet in the Solar System with large amounts of liquid water on the surface and in its atmosphere. The third planet from the sun, Earth is just the right distance from the sun for life to exist. If the Earth were any closer to the sun the seas would boil away, and if any farther away, the seas would freeze over. Earth is the only planet, that we know of, that has living things.

As it orbits the sun, like a giant top, one complete spin is considered a day. Earth is encircled by a protective layer of air called the atmosphere. It is made mostly of gases nitrogen and oxygen, along with a small amount of carbon dioxide and tiny particles of dust and water. Earth is covered by a five-to thirty-mile deep layer of rocks which are called the crust. The crust is cracked into a number of plates. The plates are constantly moving and their movement is what causes earthquakes and volcanoes.

Earth's influence extends far out beyond its atmosphere. An invisible magnetic field surrounds the Earth, much like the magnetic field around an ordinary magnet. Like a bar magnet, Earth's surface has magnetic north and south poles, to which a compass needle points. The Earth behaves in this way because its outer core flows around its inner core. This makes the Earth like a giant dynamo creating its own magnetic field.

 

Back

Mars