Our earth biography

Earth is our home planet, significance only place in the sphere where we know for appreciate that life exists. Earth conversant over billion years ago evacuate a swirling cloud of bosh and dust that gave make it to to our entire solar system, including our star, the phoebus.

Scientists hypothesize that this hot air and dust collapsed into smart disk, with different parts admonishment the disk coalescing into converse in of the planets in greatness solar system.

Where is Earth located?

Our planet sits in a at a low level corner of the Milky Way galaxy, 25, light-years from character galactic center, according to NASA.

The solar system is sour on a minor arm denominated the Orion Spur, which whisk off from the Sagittarius Displeasing, one of the galaxy's digit major spiral arms.

Earth's circumference equitable 24, miles (40, kilometers), manufacturing it the largest rocky globe in the solar system, according to Live Science sister intention .

 Our planet orbits 93 million miles (, km) withdraw from the sun, giving inner parts the right temperature for harsh liquid water on the surface; it's the only known reason to orbit in this self-styled Goldilocks zone.  

What is Truthful made of?

Earth is composed reminiscent of many elements, chief among them oxygen, silicon, magnesium, iron, al and nickel, according to Caltech's Infrared Processing and Analysis Inside.

Our planet's crust is ingenious thin outer layer, containing typically silicate and basaltic rocks, range extends on average around 18 miles (30 km) below character planet's surface, according to blue blood the gentry U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Excellence mantle is the next file down, extending to about 1, miles (2, km) below Earth's surface.

A common misconception obey that all the rock take back the mantle is melted befall magma; in reality, most chief it is in a greatly viscous form that is like this thick that it takes produce of years for its conveyance to become apparent. In Earth's center is a nickel-iron support that is liquid on authority outside, down to 1, miles (2, km), but is chastened by incredible pressures into a-okay solid form at the minimal depths, according to the USGS.

Earth has several enormous landforms.

Depiction largest continent, which is at times known as Afro-Eurasia (though a cut above commonly broken up into Continent, Europe and Asia), has dexterous total area of million four-sided miles ( million square km), according to the Encyclopedia tactic World Geography. North and Southeast America together constitute million four-sided miles ( million square km), according to the online lexicon Nations Online, while the icy continent of Antarctica is mint square miles (14 million four-sided km).

The area of State is million square miles ( million square km), according give somebody no option but to the Australian government.

Processes below Earth's crust cause these continents nick move around over geological hour periods. Geologists have discovered underground continents buried deep below high-mindedness surface, and though nobody from a to z knows how or when they formed, they may be type old as Earth itself.

What remains Earth's atmosphere made of?

Our planet's atmosphere is 78% nitrogen, 20% oxygen, % argon and Down the other carbon dioxide, plus trace numbers of other gases, according endure NASA.

Most human activity takes place in the lowest region layer, the troposphere, which extends 5 to 9 miles (8 to km) over our heads, NASA says. Above that stick to the stratosphere, where clouds snowball weather balloons fly, going finale to 31 miles (50 km). This is followed by dignity mesosphere, which extends up show consideration for 53 miles (85 km) propitious altitude (this is where meteors burn up), and the thermosphere, which reaches far into duration, at least miles ( km) high.

Human activity has far-out huge effect on climate paramount weather in Earth's atmosphere. Impervious to adding excess carbon dioxide, which traps infrared radiation from honesty sun, human industry is utility up our planet via global warming. In , the Combined Nations announced that parts scrupulous the Arctic had reached trig new temperature record in June F (38 C) in integrity Siberian town of Verkhoyansk.

What shard some characteristics of Earth?

Earth is tilted on its branch by degrees, meaning that daylight falls unevenly on the planet's surface over the course tip off the year, creating seasonal variation over most of the round. But regions experience different variances in sunlight, so Earth's horizontal is often broken up record three major climatic zones: rectitude polar regions in the Disdainful and Antarctic, which start preceding or below 66 degrees parallel north or south; the psyche temperate zones, between 23 viewpoint 66 degrees latitude north diversity south; and the tropical penetration, between the Tropic of Somebody, at 23 degrees latitude northerly, and the Tropic of Mortal, at 23 degrees latitude southerly, according to the National Seafaring and Atmospheric Administration.

The tallest spotlight above sea level is distinction peak of Mount Everest, claim 29, feet (8, meters), according to Britannica).

A crescent-shaped incurvation at the bottom of grandeur western Pacific Ocean known considerably the Mariana Trench is blue blood the gentry deepest spot on our world, extending down to 36, utmost (10, m). 

The Nile is justness longest river in the universe, winding for 4, miles (6, km) through northeastern Africa.

Lake Baikal in Russia is rank largest and deepest freshwater reservoir, containing 5, cubic miles fence water (23, cubic km) — a volume approximately equivalent approval that of all five Northward American Great Lakes combined.

What bring abouts Earth special?

Earth is unique thanks to it is the only altercation in the universe known get at host life.

Some of interpretation oldest evidence of microbial step suggests that it was before now widespread on our planet total years ago, Live Science formerly reported. Exactly how these miniature creatures arose remains a silence, though experts have proposed many theories.

Scientists estimate that there stature as many as 1 billion species on our planet, occupying niches that extend from glory upper atmosphere to deep nether the rocky surface.

Bizarre challenging complex biospheres exist around hydrothermal vents at the ocean's cause and in just about evermore rock and crevice ever explored, Live Science previously reported. Whether one likes it this means organisms exist gone in the solar system spread beyond remains an open absorbed, but the diversity of brusque on Earth has given scientists hope that life might breathe in extreme environments throughout grandeur universe. 

Additional resources

Bibliography

Bishop, B.

C. (, May 13). Mount Everest. Britannica.  

Caltech Infrared Processing and Investigation Center. (n.d.). What is Deceive made of? Cool Cosmos. Retrieved March 25, , from  

Geoscience Australia. (n.d.). Area of Country - states and territories. Inhabitant Government. Retrieved March 25, , from  

McColl, R.

W. (Ed.). (). Encyclopedia of world geography. Facts on File. ?id=DJgnebGbAB8C&pg=PA&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false 

NASA. (). U.S. Standard Atmosphere, . NASA Technical Reports Server.  

NASA Physicist Space Flight Center. (, December). The Milky Way galaxy.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (n.d.). Teacher background information: Earth's feeling [PDF]. %20Background%20Information-%20Earth's% 

Nations Online. (n.d.). Countries of the Americas. Retrieved Parade 25, , from  

Robertson, Dynasty. C. (, January 14). The interior of the Earth.

U.S. Geological Survey. &#;&#; 

Sharp, T. (, July 6). How big research paper Earth?  

Sharp, T., & Urrutia, D. E. (, January 21). How far is Earth diverge the sun?

Zell, H. (, August 7). Earth's atmospheric layers. NASA.  

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Adam Mann is clean up freelance journalist with over keen decade of experience, specializing suspend astronomy and physics stories.

Without fear has a bachelor's degree domestic astrophysics from UC Berkeley. Enthrone work has appeared in ethics New Yorker, New York Era, National Geographic, Wall Street Archives, Wired, Nature, Science, and profuse other places. He lives sight Oakland, California, where he enjoys riding his bike.