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The earth is our home. Earth is the planet we live on! It is the third planet from the sun. It is the only planet we know of that has life on it. Its location in the solar system is perfect for us to live on. It is close enough to the sun to keep us warm. It is far enough away not to burn us! It also has features such as the ozone layer, which helps to protect us from the sun and allow plants and animals to live on it.
Fast Facts
Earth is the third closest planet to the sun. It is 92,960,000 miles from the sun.
Earth was formed about four and a half billion years ago (4,500,000,000).
The earth has one moon. A moon is a natural satellite, meaning a natural object that orbits a planet.
Did you know that Earth has a nickname? It is nicknamed the "Blue Planet." This is because most of the earth's surface is covered in water! In fact, 71% of Earth is covered in water.
The distance around Earth's middle -- around the Equator -- is 24,902 miles. The Equator is the imaginary line that runs around the middle of the planet. Notice that it is imaginary, or made up. You don't see the Equator it when you look at photos of Earth from space.
What is Earth Made of?
Earth is a terrestrial planet, which means it is a rocky body, unlike some planets that are made up of gas, such as Jupiter and Saturn.
Earth is made up of several layers. In the middle is the core. The temperature of the core is very hot -- hotter than the sun! The mantle is the middle layer. The layer we live on is called the crust.
The Earth also has a layer of atmosphere, including the ozone layer, that helps protect living things from the harsh rays and intense heat of the sun.
Day, Night, and the Seasons
Earth rotates each day. It spins slowly all the time, but we don't feel any movement because it turns smoothly and at the same speed. It rotates along its axis, which is an imaginary line that goes through the middle of the planet (through the North and South Poles). It takes just under 24 hours for it to make one full rotation. That is why our day is 24 hours long.
During each day, there is a period of light (we also call this daytime) and a period of dark (night or nighttime). When the part of the earth that you live on is facing the sun, it gets light from the sun and it is daytime. When the part of the earth you are on is facing away from the sun, it is night. Somerville and Singapore are on opposite sides of the world. When it is 9:00 at night in Somerville, for people in Singapore it is 9:00 in the morning!
The earth is tilted along its axis. This tilt causes the seasons. As the earth spins on its axis, it also orbits around the sun. When it is winter for us in the northern hemisphere, it is summer for our friends the Southern Hemisphere, in countries such as Brazil, South Africa, and Australia. Look at the picture below for more information.
The earth spins along its axis (the imaginary line red and green line shown here) as it orbits around the sun.
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