Earth

 

Earth is one of the small planets. It is a little over 7,953 miles in diameter, and about 2,423 miles around the equator.  Earth is the third planet from the Sun, located in between Venus and Mars.  It is the fifth largest of the eight planets.

 

The weather on Earth varies a great deal, from very cold at either the north or south poles, to very warm at the equator. Compared to other planets, the temperatures on Earth are mild.

 

Earth is very unusual when compared to the other planets. The middle of the Earth is solid and made up mostly of iron. The large amount of iron is what makes compasses work. On top of this is a very thick layer of molten or liquid rock. This is where volcanoes come from. On top of this is the solid layer that makes up the continents and the ocean floors.  Surrounding the solid surface are layers of atmosphere. The atmosphere is made up of many gases including oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide.  Earth is the only planet which supports animal and plant life. Also, it is the only planet with oceans of warm water.

 

The Earth takes 365.25 days to revolve around the Sun. One revolution around the Sun is called a year. So one year is 365 days and every fourth year has 366 days. That is called a leap year. It takes the Earth 24 hours to rotate around its axis. One rotation is call a day. So one day is 24 hours.

 

 

 

Sources:

SoundFile

http://www.lessonplanspage.com/more/205mer.html

http://kids.nineplanets.org/venus.htm