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Earth
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Related Topics
Images, Videos & Interactives
Earth
Examine the observable universe's place within the whole universe
Planets of Our Solar System
Earth's revolution and rotation around the Sun, explained
Earth Earth and the Moon
Know the ten interesting facts that prove the earth is round
Earth
What causes the seasons?
surface hydrologic cycle
For Students
Earth summary
Quizzes
View of the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31, M31).
Astronomy and Space Quiz
Cross section of Earth showing the core, mantle, and crust
Everything Earth
The orbits of the planets and other elements of the solar system, including asteroids, Kuiper belt, Oort cloud, comet
Space Odyssey
Saturn. Saturn and its rings. Second largest planet of the solar system. Space Art
Planets and the Earth’s Moon
1 July 2002: The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite reveals a massive solar eruption more than 30 times the Earth's diameter. The eruption formed when a loop of a magnetic field over the surface of the Sun trapped hot gas.
Brightest Star in the Solar System
Related Questions
Read Next
Solar system illustration. (Sun; planets)
A Model of the Cosmos
Paleogeography and paleoceanography of Early Triassic time. The present-day coastlines and tectonic boundaries of the configured continents are shown at the lower right. Continents, continental drift, plate tectonics, Pangea, Laurussia, Gondwana.
Spotting a Supercontinent: How Pangea Was Discovered
Remarkable new details of Pluto's largest moon Charon are revealed in this image from New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), taken late on July 13, 2015 from a distance of 289,000 miles
Why Is Pluto No Longer a Planet?
A quarter moon is visible in this oblique view of Earth's horizon and airglow, recorded with a digital still camera on the final mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia.
How Much Does Earth’s Atmosphere Weigh?
Solar system illustration. (planets; sun)
Why Are Planets Round?
Discover
Groups of depositors in front of the closed American Union Bank, New York City. April 26, 1932. Great Depression run on bank crowd
Causes of the Great Depression
African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.
Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement
Albert Einstein in Washington, D.C. c. 1921-1923. Physicist
The Solar Eclipse That Made Albert Einstein a Science Celebrity
The Battle of New Orleans, by E. Percy Moran, c. 1910. Andrew Jackson, War of 1812.
26 Decade-Defining Events in U.S. History
Solar Eclipse, Eclipse, Solar Flare, Outer Space, Astronomy
What Causes Lunar and Solar Eclipses?
Queen Elizabeth II addresses at opening of Parliament. (Date unknown on photo, but may be 1958, the first time the opening of Parliament was filmed.)
All 119 References in “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Explained
Young boys working in a thread spinning mill in Macon, Georgia, 1909. Boys are so small they have to climb onto the spinning frame to reach and fix broken threads and put back empty bobbins. Child labor. Industrial revolution
The Rise of the Machines: Pros and Cons of the Industrial Revolution

Earth: References & Edit History

Additional Reading

Peter D. Ward and Don Brownlee, Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe, 2nd rev. ed. (2003), lays out for general readers a case for the uncommon nature of planet Earth. Jonathan I. Lunine, Earth: Evolution of a Habitable World (1999); and John J.W. Rogers, A History of the Earth (1993), provide comprehensive introductions to Earth from, respectively, planetological and geologic perspectives. William K. Hartmann, The History of Earth: An Illustrated Chronicle of an Evolving Planet (1991), is a lavishly illustrated introduction. A graduate-level text comprising excellent chapters on its subject matter is Robin M. Canup and Kevin Righter (eds.), Origin of the Earth and Moon (2000). A popular and balanced account of the physical causes of mass extinctions is given in Charles Frankel, The End of the Dinosaurs: Chicxulub Crater and Mass Extinctions (1999; originally published in French, 1996). The periodical Scientific American (monthly) is an excellent and accessible source for the latest thinking on Earth and planetary processes; for example, a good description of plate tectonics is found in Ian W.D. Dalziel, “Earth Before Pangea,” 272(1):58–63 (January 1995). The State of the World report (annual), published by the Worldwatch Institute, provides authoritative updates on Earth’s vital signs for the general reader.

Jonathan I. Lunine

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

Other Contributors

  • DANA MIX
  • Eugenio Quintana

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Media added. Aug 15, 2023
Modified link of Web site: The Nine Planets - Phobos. Jun 06, 2023
Interactive media added. May 25, 2023
Links added. May 05, 2023
Add new Web site: Geosciences LibreTexts - Earth's Interior. Oct 18, 2022
Add new Web site: Geosciences LibreTexts - Earth's Interior. Oct 18, 2022
Add new Web site: Space.com - Planet Earth: Facts about our home planet. Aug 12, 2022
Add new Web site: NASA Solar System Exploration - Earth. Mar 17, 2022
Noted that the total volume of liquid water on Earth is about 1.39 billion cubic km (332.5 million cubic miles). Jul 08, 2021
Top Questions updated. Jul 02, 2021
Corrected display issue. May 06, 2021
Add new Web site: CIA - The World Factbook - World. Mar 10, 2021
Add new Web site: CIA - The World Factbook - World. Mar 10, 2021
Added photograph of Earth and the Moon. Nov 12, 2020
Corrected display issue. Dec 12, 2018
Add new Web site: Kids Geo - Kids Geology - The Earth Inside Out. Mar 05, 2018
Add new Web site: Kids Geo - Kids Geology - The Earth Inside Out. Mar 05, 2018
Add new Web site: Kids Geo - Kids Geography - About The Planet Earth. Mar 05, 2018
Add new Web site: National Geographic Kids - Space - Mission to Earth. Dec 20, 2016
Add new Web site: KidsAstronomy.com - Earth. Dec 18, 2016
Add new Web site: National Geographic Kids - Structure of the Earth! Dec 16, 2016
Add new Web site: CoolKidFacts.com - Earth Facts. Dec 16, 2016
Add new Web site: Kidz World - Earth. Dec 15, 2016
Added video about evidence of Earth's roundness. Dec 03, 2015
The timing of the end-Cretaceous extinction and the eruption of the Deccan traps changed from about 65 million to about 66 million years ago. Feb 11, 2015
Text describing the polarity of iron crystals in the different layers of Earth's inner core added. Feb 11, 2015
Replaced video. Apr 11, 2013
The words "1.5 parts per million of methane" changed to "1.8 parts per million of methane" in the section The atmosphere. Mar 04, 2013
Amount of methane in atmosphere changed to 1.8 ppm. Nickel added as an element in Earth's core. Feb 26, 2013
Mean surface gravity and volume of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere changed in table Planetary data for Earth. Feb 21, 2013
Concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere updated to 395 parts per million. Feb 21, 2013
Add new Web site: National Geographic - Science - Earth. Jan 04, 2013
Add new Web site: JewishEncyclopedia.com - Earth. Jan 04, 2013
Add new Web site: National Aeronautics and Space Administration - Solar System Exploration -. Jan 04, 2013
Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - Earth. Jan 04, 2013
The table Planetary data for Earth was revised and updated. Dec 06, 2012
The words "Earth has a single satellite" were changed to "Earth has a single natural satellite." Aug 06, 2012
Added two recent images of Earth taken from space. May 23, 2012
Add new Web site: Science Kids - Fun Science and Technology for Kids - Earth Fact. Mar 16, 2012
Added video discussing the effects of external forces on Earth processes. Feb 04, 2012
Add new Web site: NeoK12 - Educational Videos and Games for School Kids - Earth. Nov 03, 2011
Video of Earth's rotation and revolution added. Aug 12, 2011
Earth's surface area changed from "509,600,000 square km" to "510,066,000 square km" in the section The hydrosphere. May 03, 2011
Value of inclination of Equator to orbit modified to 23.44 degrees from 23.45 degrees. Nov 11, 2010
Value of obliquity of ecliptic modified from "23.5 degrees" to "23.44 degrees." Nov 11, 2010
Added graph depicting percentage of Earth's surface devoted to various land and water features. Nov 11, 2010
Updated age of universe from 14 to 13.8 billion years. Jul 14, 2010
Updated geologic time data. May 25, 2010
Information about surface area of Earth added. Oct 08, 2009
Added new Web site: NASA - The Earth Observatory. Apr 30, 2009
Added new Web site: Ecology.com - Kids' Corner - Every Day Is Earth Day. Apr 30, 2009
Added new Web site: Ecology.com - Kids' Corner - Every Day Is Earth Day. Apr 30, 2009
Added new Web site: NASA - The Earth Observatory. Apr 30, 2009
Added new Web site: Window To The Universe - Earth's Interior and Surface. Apr 23, 2009
Added new Web site: Window To The Universe - Earth's Magnetic Poles. Apr 23, 2009
Added new Web site: Window To The Universe - Earth as a System. Apr 23, 2009
Added new Web site: Window To The Universe - Earth's Magnetosphere. Apr 23, 2009
Added new Web site: Window To The Universe - The Earth's Atmosphere. Apr 23, 2009
Added new Web site: National Geographic - Science and Space - The Dynamic Earth. Apr 17, 2009
Added new Web site: National Geographic - Science and Space - Earth. Apr 16, 2009
Added new Web site: Extreme Science - How Old Is the Earth? Apr 16, 2009
Added new Web site: Enchanted Learning - Earth's Magnetosphere. Apr 13, 2009
Added new Web site: Enchanted Learning - Earth's Atmosphere. Apr 13, 2009
Added new Web site: Enchanted Learning - Earth. Apr 13, 2009
Added new Web site: Kids Know It Network - Educational Song, "The Earth Goes Around The Sun". Apr 07, 2009
Added new Web site: Kids Know It Network - Educational Song, "The Earth Goes Around The Sun". Apr 07, 2009
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - Science - Earth Explained. Feb 11, 2009
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - Science - How Much Water is There on Earth? Dec 24, 2008
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - Science - How Much Does Planet Earth Weigh? Dec 24, 2008
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - Science - How the Earth Works. Dec 24, 2008
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - Science - How the Earth Works. Aug 17, 2008
Added new Web site: Enchanted Learning - The Earth. Jul 07, 2008
Added new Web site: Iloveindia.com - Earth. Oct 28, 2007
Added new Web site: Pattie Elementary School - Journey to Center of Earth. Apr 26, 2007
Added new Web site: NASA - The Space Place. Nov 16, 2006
Added new Web site: U.S. Geological Survey - Understanding Our Planet Through Chemistry. Nov 05, 2006
Bibliography revised. Sep 29, 2006
Article revised and updated. Sep 29, 2006
Added new Web site: PBS Online - Savage Earth. Sep 22, 2006
Added new Web site: PBS Online - Savage Earth. Aug 07, 2006
Added new Web site: Blue Planet Biomes. Jul 10, 2006
Added new Web site: Blue Planet Biomes. Jul 10, 2006
Added new Web site: University of Tennessee - Astronomy 161: The Solar System. Jun 30, 2006
Added new Web site: The Franklin Institute Science Museum - EarthForce. Jun 28, 2006
Added new Web site: The Franklin Institute Science Museum - EarthForce. Jun 28, 2006
Added new Web site: Dinosauria On-Line - Maps of Ancient Earth. Jun 28, 2006
Added new Web site: The New York Times - Exploring the Solar System. Jun 28, 2006
Added new Web site: Science and Creationism: A View from the National Academy of Sciences. Jun 22, 2006
Added new Web site: Window To The Universe. Jun 22, 2006
Added new Web site: The Nine Planets - Phobos. Jun 08, 2006
Added new Web site: Enchanted Learning - All About Astronomy. May 26, 2006
Added new Web site: European Space Agency: Earth Observation. Apr 12, 2006
Added new Web site: European Space Agency: Earth Observation. Apr 12, 2006
Article revised. Jun 16, 2005
Article revised. Apr 12, 2002
Article added to new online database. Jul 26, 1999
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