nat8an: Seriously these are the topics dat should make front page. Seriously these are the topics dat should make front page.

fubbyy: Earth, our home planet, is the only planet whose
name is not derived from Greek/Roman mythology.
In Roman Mythology, the goddess of the Earth was
Tellus - the fertile soil, while the Greek goddes was
Gaia, terra mater - Mother Earth. The name we use
today, Earth, comes from Old English and Germanic.

fubbyy: Earth, our home planet, is the only planet whose
name is not derived from Greek/Roman mythology.
In Roman Mythology, the goddess of the Earth was
Tellus - the fertile soil, while the Greek goddes was
Gaia, terra mater - Mother Earth. The name we use
today, Earth, comes from Old English and Germanic.

1. Earth is the third planet from the Sun

The Earth's average distance from the Sun is
149,597,890 km (92,955,820 miles) or one
astronomical unit (AU). Located between Venus and
Mars, some people have called it the "third rock from
the sun."

2. Earth is the fifth largest planet

The diameter of the earth at the equator is about
7926 miles, but that's not the whole story. Because
the earth is not a perfect sphere but is slightly
flattened at the poles, the diameter of the earth
measured around the North Pole and the South Pole
is about 7899 miles.

3. Earth is the only planet known to harbor life

All of the things we need to survive are provided
under a thin layer of atmosphere that separates us
from the uninhabitable void of space. Earth is made
up of complex, interactive systems that are often
unpredictable. Air, water, land, and life - including
humans - combine forces to create a constantly
changing world that we are striving to understand.

4. Earth is mostly covered in water

While the word earth is often used synonymously
with dirt, seventy-one percent of the its surface is
covered with water. It is the only planet where it
exists in its liquid form on the surface. This is
probably part of the reason that the Earth is the only
planet known to contain life.

5. Early philosophy had the Earth as the
center of the universe

Although Aristarchus of Samos, in the 3rd Century
B.C., figured out how to measure the distances to
and sizes of the Sun and the Moon, and concluded
that the Earth orbited the Sun, this view didn't
attract followers until Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish
astronomer, published "On the Revolutions of the
Celestial Spheres" in 1543.

6. Earth has four distinct seasons

This is a result of a result of Earth's axis of rotation
being tilted more than 23 degrees. Seasons changes
as the tilt of Earth's axis changes during it's
revolution around the Sun.

7. Earth has an atmosphere that sustains life

Earth's atmosphere is 77% nitrogen, 21% oxygen,
with traces of argon, carbon dioxide and water. This
atmosphere affects Earth's long-term climate and
short-term local weather; shields us from nearly all
harmful radiation coming from the Sun; and protects
us from meteors as well - most of which burn up
before they can strike the surface.

8. Earth has one natural satellite

Earth's Moon (called Luna) orbits at a distance of
384,000km, with a radius of 1738KM and a mass of
7.32e22kg. However, there are thousands of small
artificial satellites which have been placed in orbit
around the Earth. Also, asteroids 3753 Cruithne and
2002 AA29 have complicated orbital relationships
with the Earth; they're not really moons, the term
"companion" is being used.
Because of its size and rocky composition, the moon
has also been called a terrestrial planet along with
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. It has no
atmosphere, but there is water ice in some deep
craters. The moon is the only extra-planetary body
that a human has visited.

9. Earth has a magnetic field

Our planet's rapid spin and molten nickel-
iron core
give rise to a magnetic field, which the solar wind
distorts into a teardrop shape. The magnetic field
does not fade off into space, but has definite
boundaries. Just like the field around a magnet, ours
is also polarized. When charged particles from the
solar wind become trapped in Earth's magnetic field,
they collide with air molecules above our planet's
magnetic poles. These air molecules then begin to
glow and are known as the aurorae, or the Northern
and Southern Lights
.
10. Our close proximity prevents us from
seeing Earth in its entirety

To completely view our own planet, we must leave
its surface and journey into space. From the vantage
point of space we are able to observe our planet
globally, as we do other planets, using similar
sensitive instruments to understand the delicate
balance among its oceans, air, land, and life. Viewing
Earth from the unique perspective of space provides
the opportunity to see Earth as a whole. Scientists
around the world have discovered many things
about our planet by working together and sharing
their findings.