The Earth is the planet we live on; it’s also referred to as the world or the globe. As one of the planets, the Earth is a sphere in shape.
People usually say “Earth” when referring to the planet as part of the universe and “the Earth” when talking about the world as the place where we live, the land surface on which we live and move about.
Earth can also refer to the substance of the land surface, like soil. For example, “a layer of the earth.”
Earth can also be a verb, meaning to connect (an electrical device) with the ground. So, for example, “the front metal panels must be soundly earthed.”
How old is the Earth?
Our home and the home of billions of different life forms. So how old is it? Scientists have estimated that out little blue planet is now over 4.5 billion years old.
How many people are there on Earth?
As of May 2022, 7.9 billion people are living on Earth.
What Makes a Planet?
We get the word ‘planet’ from the Greek word “planets,” which means wandering star. We say that something is a planet if it meets three different conditions:
- It orbits a star, like the Sun.
- It is vast enough to be rounded by its gravity.
- It has cleared the neighborhood region of its orbit of tiny objects.
Pluto used to be classed as a planet but was then reclassified as a dwarf planet because it didn’t meet the last criteria – clearing the neighborhood region of its orbit of tiny objects.
Keep reading to learn some fun Earth facts for kids!
What does the Earth consist of?
Earth consists of land, air, water, and life. The land contains mountains, valleys, and flat areas. The atmosphere is made up of different gases; it’s around 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and then small parts of a bunch of other stuff like hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The water includes oceans, lakes, rivers, streams, rain, snow, and ice.
What are the true colors of Earth?
Blue oceans dominate our world, while areas of green forest, brown mountains, tan desert, and white ice are also prominent. The oceans appear blue not only because the water is blue but also because seawater frequently scatters light from a blue sky. Likewise, forests appear green because they contain chlorophyll, a pigment that preferentially absorbs red light.
The Earth looks much different at night, with clouds suspended in Earth’s atmosphere providing white swirls. Earth appears more like a black marble from space.
What are the layers of the Earth?
As you can see in the handy diagram below, the Earth is formed from four main layers.
The Crust:
The first of these layers is the Crust, the surface we walk on. The crust ranges in thickness from approximately 3 – 43 miles deep and, at just 1% of the Earth’s total volume, it’s the thinnest layer of the Earth. The materials it comprises include a variety of solid rocks and minerals.
All known life in the universe exists on this layer of the Earth.
The Mantle:
The Mantle lies directly below the crust. It’s around 1,800 miles (ca. 2,897 km) deep at its thickest point, making it the most voluminous layer of the Earth, comprising about 85% of the planet’s total mass.
The mantle is composed primarily of a semi-molten rock called magma. Sometimes this erupts up through the Earth’s crust, causing volcanoes.
At the upper part of the mantle is a combination of solid rock and rock that has been heated up by pressure so much it’s become liquid.
This rock is still hot enough to melt at the lower mantle but remains solid due to its intense pressure.
The Outer Core:
Below the mantle lies the Outer Core, a liquid layer of the Earth. The materials it’s made from are mostly iron and zinc, which have been heated up so much by the pressure that they’ve become volatile liquids.
The Inner Core:
At the center of the Earth lies the Inner Core. This is the deepest layer of the Earth and, with a radius of about 758 miles (ca. 1,220 km), it’s a similar size to the moon. It’s the hottest layer of the Earth due to a combination of residual heat from the Earth’s formation, radioactive decay, and intense pressures caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon.
The History Of Planet Earth
We can trace the history of planet Earth back to around 4.54 billion years ago when it was formed from the solar nebula. The solar nebula is an extensive collection of gas and dust clouds in outer space. Earth was formed from the solar nebula through a process known as accretion, in which particles gathered together to create a large object.
Early on in its history, the atmosphere of Earth and the oceans are thought to have been created by the release of volcanic gases. Interestingly, it is believed that there was no oxygen in Earth’s early atmosphere, so humans could not have survived on it. Also, Earth was molten at this time because it frequently collided with other celestial bodies. The Earth’s moon is thought to have been formed through one of these collisions. The Earth collided with a vast celestial body known as ‘Theia,’ which is believed to have started our moon.
Thankfully, the Earth cooled over time, forming a solid crust that allowed liquid water on the planet’s surface. If this cooling process hadn’t happened, we would never be able to live here! BetThen, between 2.4 billion years ag
The Rotation of the Earth
Like the other planets in our solar system, Earth rotates around its axis. Earth rotates in an easterly direction and turns counterclockwise. The Earth’s axis of rotation meets its surface at the North Pole, and at the South Pole, the axis of rotation of the Earth intersects its surface. One complete process of the Earth takes 24 hours, which is how we measure our days. It has been observed that the Earth’s rotation is slowing down with time. This slowing is happening very gradually at about 2.3 milliseconds per century.
The Earth And The Solar System
There are eight planets in our solar system and a range of smaller celestial objects. All of the planets in the solar system orbit around the sun at varying distances. The Earth is the third planet from the sun. The order of the planets, starting with the closest to the sun, is as follows:
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
Moreover, Earth is the fourth-largest planet in the solar system, and of the four closest to the sun, Earth is the biggest. The order of the planets, starting with the biggest, is:
Mercury, Mars, Venus, Earth, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, and Jupiter
Our solar system is in the Orion Spur, also known as the Orion Arm of the Milky Way.
What is the closest star to Earth?
Our solar system is filled with stars, including the sun. Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to Earth, which consists of three stars. The stars in the Alpha Centauri are called Alpha Centauri A (Rigil Kentaurus), Alpha Centauri B (Toliman), and Alpha Centauri C (Proxima Centauri). Alpha Centauri C (Proxima Centauri) is the closest star to Earth, sitting around 4.22 light-years away. The other two stars are at an average distance of 4.3 light-years from Earth.
Many people do not know that the sun is also a star. The distance from the Earth to the Sun is approximately 93 million miles.
What meteors are close to Earth?
A meteor is a name given to a small body of matter that begins to glow with intense heat once it enters the atmosphere of Earth. Meteors are also known as shooting stars and falling stars.
Meteors begin to glow with heat or ‘become incandescent’ due to the collision it endures with air molecules in Earth’s upper atmosphere. This process gives a meteor the appearance of a large streak of light in the sky. Typically, meteors occur at an elevation of anywhere between 250,000 to 330,000 feet (ca. 101 km) in the mesosphere. The mesosphere is a region of the upper atmosphere between about 30 and 50 miles (ca. 80 km) above the surface of the Earth.
While meteors may sound like dangerous, crazy objects, they are ubiquitous. Every day, millions of meteors occur in the atmosphere of the Earth.
Keep reading to learn some fun Earth facts for kids!
Where did the name “Earth” originate from?
Although we’re not entirely sure about the exact origins of the name “Earth,” it’s thought that it was derived from both English and German words, ‘eor(th)e/ertha’ and ‘erde,’ respectively, which mean ground.
Facts about our Earth for Kids
- First up on this list of Earth facts for kids is that the planet is around 4.5 billion years old. This is the same age as the rest of our Solar System.
- This earth fact for kids may make you dizzy, so ensure you’re sitting down! The Earth spins at a whopping 1000 miles per hour (ca. 1,609 km/h). Despite traveling at this speed, one full rotation takes the planet 24 hours, which is how we measure the length of our days on Earth.
- The rate at which Earth is spinning is slowing down. However, it is happening at such a gradual, slow rate that it could take up to 140 million years before the length of a day will have changed to 25 hours.
- It’s daytime on the side of the Earth facing the Sun and nighttime on the side facing away.
- It takes the Earth 365 days to travel around the Sun. This is how we measure our years.
- Planet Earth only has one moon, which is held in orbit by gravity.
- As far as Scientists know, Earth is the only planet in the universe known to possess life. However, there are some other planets that scientists believe could be capable of supporting life.
- Earth is the only planet that wasn’t named after a Greek or Roman god or goddess.
- Earth has a radius of 6,371 km.
- The Moon orbits the Earth, with one orbit taking approximately a month (almost 28 days). As a result, we only see the part of the Moon lit by the sun, which is why it appears to be different shapes at different times of the month.
- Because the Earth rotates on its axis, the sun appears to move across the sky, but it’s the Earth moving.
- The Earth also orbits the Sun. One orbit takes 365 days (a year).
- Earth is unique because it is an ocean planet, with water covering 70% of its surface.
- People used to think that Earth was the center of the universe – this was called the geocentric theory. Then the theory changed so that people thought the Sun was the center of the universe – this was called the heliocentric theory, though this is also not true. Although the Earth does orbit around the Sun, the Sun is just one of many stars in the Milky Way Galaxy and isn’t the center of the universe.
- We have a leap year every four years because of how long it takes the Earth to orbit the Sun. This is because it doesn’t take 365 days, but 365.2564 days. So, this extra 0.2564 days means we need a leap year.
- The Earth is the third planet away from the Sun, between Venus and Mars.
