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Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun.
Earth is 150 million kilometres away from the Sun.
Earth moves around the Sun in a pathway called an orbit.
It takes one year (365 days) for the Earth to orbit the Sun once.
Earth has one moon. It is about one-quarter the size of the Earth.
The moon orbits the Earth, taking about 27days and 7 and a half hours to move around the Earth once.
Earth spins on its axis in an anti-clockwise direction and takes 23 hours 56 minutes to rotate (turn) once.
Because of its position in the Solar System, and because its atmosphere contains oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon; Earth is the only planet where life is known to exist.
Scientists believe that the Earth is 4.54 billion years old.
The Earth is made up of several layers. There is an outer solid crust, then a mantle, then a liquid outer core, and finally a solid inner core.
Earth's atmosphere, the layer of gases that surround it, contains, nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, carbon dioxide and small amounts of other gases. This atmosphere protects life on Earth from the harmful ultra-violet rays from the Sun.
Photographs © [2007] Jupiterimages Corporation
Earth rotates around the Sun
If you use any of this information in your own work, acknowledge this source in your bibliography like this:
Thomas, R. & Sydenham, S. Earth [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au (2008)
updated October 2008 © kidcyber