Planet Earth || Scientific FS
Planet Earth
How does our Earth appear when seen from space?
Our Earth is undoubtedly the most beautiful planet in the Solar System. When seen from space, it looks like a lively orb of blue marble, with constantly changing cloud patterns that give the Earth an ever-changing appearance. The Earth is the third planet from the Sun. In size and density, it is the largest of the terrestrial or rocky planets from the Sun. In size and density, it is the largest of the terrestrial or rocky planets and has the most widely varied surface of any planet in the Solar System. Because of the abundance of water, the Earth is also called the Blue Planet.
What makes the Earth unique among the planets?
The presence of liquid water makes the Earth unique among the planets. The Earth is the only planet known to support life because of its position from the Sun and its tilt at the axis, and it is expected to continue supporting life for at least another 500 million years. The oceans of Earth are unique in our Solar System. No other planet in our Solar System has liquid water, although recent researches on Mars indicate that Mars may have had some liquid water in the recent past.
How does the planet get its name?
The name 'Earth' is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word erda, which means ground or soil, and is related to the German word Erde. It became eorthe later, and then, erthe in Middle English and finally Earth as we call it today.
How much of the planet Earth is suitable for humans to live on?
It is estimated that only one-eight of the surface of the Earth is suitable for humans to live on. From the remaining portions, three-quarters are covered by oceans and half of the land area is either desert (14%) or high mountains (24%), or other less suitable terrains. The Northernmost permanent settlement on the planet Earth is Alert, on Ellesmere Island in Nunavut, Canada; the Southernmost is the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, in Antarctica, almost exactly at the South Pole.
Does the Earth have any natural satellites?
A natural satellite, also called a moon, is an object that orbits a planet or other body larger than itself. The Earth has only one known natural satellite, the Moon, which began orbiting it about 4.53 billion years ago.
Is the Earth's rotation slowing down?
Yes! The interaction of the Earth and the Moon slows the Earth's rotation by about 2 milliseconds per century. The Earth's rotation is slowing down from rotational energy transfer to the Moon's orbit through tides. The Moon is very slowly increasing its orbital radius. Current research indicates that about 900 million years ago, there used to be 481 (18-hours) days in a year.
What are the forces that cause the deformation of rocks and the Earth's crust?
There are forces that drive deformation beneath tectonic plates of the Earth's crust. These forces create 'stress', and change the shape and/ or volume of the plates and magma. The three main types of stress are compressional, tensional, and shear. Stress causes the build-up of 'strain', which causes the deformation of rocks and the Earth's crust. Compressional stress, which is the most common stress, causes a rock to squeeze, resulting in faults. Tensional stress causes a rock to elongate, or pull apart and generally occurs at plate boundaries. Shear stress causes rocks to slip past each other, thus shaking the ground leading to earthquakes.
What are equinoxes and solstices?
Equinoxes are either of the two times in a year, on which the rays of the Sunshine directly on the Earth's equator. On these days (approximately March 20th and September 22nd), day and night are of equal duration. Solstices are either of the two times in a year when the Sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator. in the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs on either December 21 or 22, when the Sun shines directly over the Tropic of Capricorn; the summer solstice occurs on either June 20 or 21, when the Sun shines directly over the Tropic of Cancer. In the Southern Hemisphere, the winter and summer solstices are reserved. In any hemisphere, the Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, while the summer solstice is the longest day of the year.
The Earth is the densest of the eight planets in the Solar system.
Ancient astronomers believed that the Earth was at the center of the universe and that the Sun and all other objects revolved around the Earth. In the sixteenth century, Polish astronomer and mathematician, Copernicus proved that Earth was just another planet and that the Sun was at the Center of the Universe.
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