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Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the largest of the four rocky planets. It is the only planet in the solar system with liquid water on its surface, and the only place where life is known to exist.

Fact sheet

Type

Terrestrial planet

Distance

About 150 million km (93 million miles), or 1 AU, from the Sun on average

Size

Diameter about 12,756 km (7,926 miles) at the equator, the largest of the rocky planets

On the voyage

Depth 0, in the Inner Sol section of the route, where every voyage starts

Things to know

• Earth spins once about every 23.9 hours and takes about 365.25 days to circle the Sun, which is why a leap day is added every four years. NASA
• Oceans cover about 71 percent of the surface and hold about 97 percent of the planet's water. NASA
• Dry air is about 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen, with carbon dioxide at about 420 parts per million. NASA NSSDC
• At the center sits a solid iron-nickel inner core about 1,221 km (759 miles) in radius, at roughly 5,400°C (9,800°F). NASA
• Earth's longest mountain range runs along the floors of the Arctic and Atlantic oceans and is about four times longer than the Andes, Rockies and Himalayas put together. NASA

Sources

• NASA – Earth: Facts
• NASA NSSDC – Earth Fact Sheet