Planet Earth: Our Home in Space

Nguyen Khoa
Jun 6
2 min read

What if you lived on the only planet known to support life? You already do—it’s Earth!

Introduction

Welcome to our new space update. Today, we are focusing on Earth, home sweet home. There is more to tell about our planet than you might know, so let us have a look at some interesting facts.

What does the name mean?

The term "Earth" comes from ancient terms for "ground." It's been around at least 1,000 years. Earth's name, in contrast to the other planets named after gods, is a linguistic origin and not a mythological one.

A Watery Planet with Life

Earth is the only known planet with liquid water on its surface. Water is essential because it makes life possible for animals, humans, and plants. Oceans cover nearly 70% of Earth!

Size and Distance

The Earth is the fifth largest planet in the solar system and the largest rocky planet near the Sun. It is about 150 million kilometers away from the Sun. Sunlight takes 8 minutes to arrive.

Day, Night, and Seasons

Earth spins once every day, which is 24 hours. It takes Earth a period of about 365 days to orbit around the Sun. Due to the tilt of Earth, we experience seasons like summer, winter, spring, and autumn. We add an extra day called a leap year every four years.

Our Moon

Earth only has one moon, which is the fifth largest moon in our solar system. It stabilizes our Earth, especially the weather. The Moon is about 384,000 kilometers (238,855 miles) away, which is enough space to fit 30 Earths in between!