- The order of the planets from the Sun is Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (the dwarf planet). Earth is the third planet from the Sun and is the largest of the four terrestrial planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
- The range of temperatures on Earth, from 0 to 100 degrees Celsius, is what makes water liquid here on Earth. At 100 degrees Celsius, water begins to boil, turning it into gas and rendering it unfit for consumption by any living thing, including people, animals, and birds.
- Only on Earth is it possible for water to exist in all three of its states—solid, liquid, and gas.
We are spinning at the speed of up to 1000 miles per hour
- Our collective speed as we circle the Sun is 107,182 kilometers per hour. And depending on where you are on Earth, we may be spinning at a speed of up to 1000 miles per hour at the same time.
- Every day, Earth receives between 100 and 300 metric tons of cosmic dust, which is dust that exists both in space and on the planet (data collected from satellite observations.) However, according to some other calculations, the amount of incoming dust may only be 5 metric tons per day.
- Even though the earth contains more than 70% water, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that water makes up less than 1% of the planet’s mass.
- Earth is slightly bigger than Venus in terms of size.
- About 4.54 billion years ago, Earth was formed.
- The gravity in the Canadian Hudson Bay region is weaker than that of the rest of the world. Scientists have a number of theories that they link to this effect, but no one is certain why it is the way it is.
- About 4.1 billion years ago, life is thought to have first appeared on Earth.
- It’s interesting to note that the oceans still cover more than 95% of the planet.
- The gravitational pull of the Earth and the moon causes tides in Earth’s oceans. Due to the gravitational force of the moon, water in lakes and oceans is drawn upward.
- Jupiter has 67 moons, compared to Earth’s single moon.
- The moon, with a radius of 1,738 kilometers, is the fifth largest moon in the Solar System after Ganymede, Titan, Callisto, and Io, all of which orbit Jupiter (orbits: Jupiter).
The Moon reflects the Sun’s shine
- When the Sun is on the opposite side of the Earth, or when it is night on one side of the planet, the Moon reflects the Sun’s light onto the Earth.
- The fact that the same side of the moon is always facing the Earth indicates that the moon and the Earth rotate in a synchronous fashion.
- The Moon is the only naturally occurring, permanent satellite of Earth (just so you know, there are 181 known natural moons in our solar system orbiting both the giant and dwarf planets).
- The moon, the planet’s natural satellite, is thought to have formed from Earth after colliding with an object the size of Mars called Theia.
- It is noteworthy that 99 percent of all species that have ever existed on Earth are now extinct.
- The only planet that is known to support life is Earth. However, efforts are being made to support the survival of life on other planets, such as Mars.
- While Uranus is named after the Greek sky god, Jupiter is named after the ruler of the Roman gods. The name Earth is derived from the German and English words for the ground.
- The Earth’s rotational speed is gradually slowing down, so in about 140 million years, a day on Earth would last for 25 hours.
- The Sun and other planets were once thought to revolve around Earth, which was once thought to be the center of the universe. This assumption was shown to be false, though.
- Earth has a powerful magnetic field as a result of the inner nickel-iron core. Additionally, this magnetic field prevents strong solar winds from blowing on Earth and harming various life forms.
- The temperature of the Earth’s interior core ranges from 5400 to 6000 degrees Celsius. Consequently, it becomes hotter than the Sun’s surface (surface temperature – 5500 Celsius).
- The mantle, which is 2900 kilometers thick, is the thickest of the earth’s four layers. This layer is made up of a hot mixture of molten rock and has the consistency of caramel.
- The crust, which is typically 30 kilometers deep on the ground, is the thinnest of all the layers.
- Taking into account both the size of the Earth and the moon, which is roughly 27% the size of the Earth, Earth also has the largest natural satellite in relation to any other planet.
Earth is the densest planet in our Solar System
- The Earth also holds the distinction of being the Solar System’s densest planet. It weighs 5.51 grams per cubic centimeter on average.
- The tectonic plates under the surface of the Earth are the only ones in the solar system. The magma inside the Earth is sitting atop these plates. Earthquakes are caused by the collision of these plates. Other geological processes and the maintenance of life depend on the movement of these plates.
- The diameter of the Earth is 43 km shorter from the North Pole to the South Pole than it is across the Equator. As a result, Earth is not a perfect sphere, and the diameter difference is due to how Earth rotates.
- Nearly 85-88% of the iron in the Earth’s core and nearly 47% of the oxygen in its crust.
- Due to its bluish appearance from space, Earth is also referred to as the “Blue Planet.” Water covers almost 70% of Earth’s surface.
- The troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere are among the five layers that make up Earth’s atmosphere. The thickness of the atmosphere on Earth ranges from the surface up to a height of 50 km and up to 10,000 km.
- The maximum altitude an airplane can fly at is 60,000 feet, or nearly 18.288 kilometers.
- As we travel away from the Earth’s surface and toward space, the pressure and density continue to decrease.
- 75% of the atmosphere is located in the first 11 km from the Earth’s surface.
- The Exosphere, the final layer of the Earth’s atmosphere, reaches 10,000 kilometers into space from 700 kilometers above mean sea level.
Why does a leap year occur every four years?
- Have you ever questioned why a leap year occurs every four years? This is due to the fact that a year on Earth is 365.2564 days long rather than exactly 365. Every four years, the extra 0.2564 day is adjusted by adding a day (a leap day) to the month of February.
- Only Earth has a surface covered in liquid water and an atmosphere that is 21% oxygen.
Want to read more? Famous sixteenth-century astrologist foretold this would happen in 2022!
In case you want to keep on reading about our planet, here are more fun facts!