|
Seventy percent of the
Earth's surface is covered by water. The remaining 30 percent is covered by
mountains, volcanoes, deserts,
plains, and
valleys. Earth is the third closest
planet to the Sun. It has an
atmosphere made up of many different gases, but mainly it is nitrogen and
oxygen. The atmosphere gives us air to breathe. We live on the planet Earth.
Facts:
(1) The
Earth orbits around the Sun.
(2) It takes one year to go around the Sun one complete time.
(3) The Earth also rotates, or spins, on its
axis.
(4) It takes one day to spin around one complete time.
(5) The Earth's axis is not straight up and down, but tilted a little bit.
(5) This tilt is responsible for us having seasons. Otherwise, the temperature
would be pretty much the same all year long.
|
Mean
distance from the Sun: |
1 AU
(149,600,000 km/ 92,960,000 mi) |
|
Length
of year: |
365.26
days |
|
Rotation period: |
23.93
hours |
|
Mean
orbital velocity: |
29.79
km/sec (18.6 mi/sec) |
|
Inclination of axis: |
23.45° |
|
Average
temperature: |
59° F
(15° C) |
|
Diameter: (equatorial) |
12,756
km (7,926 mi) |
|
Number
of observed satellites: |
1 |
|
