by Danna Martínez
Earth. The third closest planet to the Sun, with a radius of approximately 4000 miles. It’s the place we call home. It is essential to know some basic facts and curiosities about our planet in recognition of Earth Day.
The term earth comes from the Latin Terra, equivalent to Gea, goddess of Ancient Greece. Among the planets, the Earth has the perfect conditions to host the life of living beings. It has the exact thickness to regulate the temperature, keeps an adequate distance from the Sun, and contains essential elements like nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. In other words, it is ideal to shelter living beings. And so far, we know that it is the only planet in our solar system with these capabilities.
The moon is the only natural satellite of the Earth. The Earth has no rings of its own. According to NASA, “Earth’s vast oceans provided a convenient place for life to begin about 3.8 billion years ago.”
A day on Earth is 24 hours, and a year is approximately 365 days. The Earth makes one complete orbit around the Sun in one year.
Based on its color, some astronauts refer to Earth as “The Blue Planet.” Studies say that the Earth looks blue with green, white, browns, and glitter from space. It is a rocky, terrestrial planet; however, 70% of Earth’s surface is made up of water. To see a general perspective of the land, Click Here.
Our planet has extensive green areas—the vegetation. As an example, there are forests, jungles, and even gardens. The brown and reddish colors show some mountains, valleys, canyons, and deserts. Finally, there is the target. White. Some faithfully believe that the color white reflects the massive ice at the poles. Others claim that parts of the target are the compounds within the atmosphere—for example, cloud formations. And since the Earth has colors and no flags, there is no border that prevents us from uniting and protecting it.
The planet earth contains millions of wonders. And despite being in constant satellite surveillance, there are still millions of more aspects to know. Preserving the land is vital, literally speaking.
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