Top 10 Basic Facts About Earth.

 

 

◐ 1. Measuring Up

 If the Sun were as tall as a typical front door, Earth would be the size of a nickel.

◐ 2. Third Rock

 Earth orbits our Sun, a star. Earth is the third planet from the Sun at a distance of about 93 million miles (150 million km).

◐ 3. As the World Turns

A day on Earth is 24 hours. Earth makes a complete orbit around the sun (a year in Earth time) in about 365 days.

◐ 4. We're On It

 Earth is a rocky planet with a solid and dynamic surface of mountains, canyons, plains and more. Most of our planet is covered in water.

◐ 5. Breathe Easy

 Earth's atmosphere is 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen and 1 percent other ingredients—the perfect balance to breathe and live. 

◐ 6. Orbital Science

 Many orbiting spacecraft study the Earth from above as a whole system—observing the atmosphere, ocean, glaciers, and the solid earth.

◐ 7. Protective Shield 

 Our atmosphere protects us from incoming meteoroids, most of which break up in our atmosphere before they can strike the surface.

◐ 8. Plate Tectonics Keep the Planet Comfortable

 Earth is the only planet in the Solar System with plate tectonics. Basically, the outer crust of the Earth is broken up into regions known as tectonic plates. These are floating on top of the magma interior of the Earth and can move against one another

◐ 9. 70% of the Earths Surface is Covered in Water

 When astronauts first went into the space, they looked back at the Earth with human eyes for the first time. Based on their observations, the Earth acquired the nickname the “Blue Planet:. And it’s no surprise, seeing as how 70% of our planet is covered with oceans.

◐ 10. The Earth’s Atmosphere Extends to a Distance of 10,000 km

 Earth’s atmosphere is thickest within the first 50 km from the surface or so, but it actually reaches out to about 10,000 km into space. It is made up of five main layers – the Troposphere, the Stratosphere, the Mesosphere, the Thermosphere, and the Exosphere