Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the fifth largest planet in the solar system in terms of mass and size.
The only celestial object that has an outstanding characteristic to host life. 29.2% of the Earth’s surface is land, and the remaining 70.8% is covered by water. Earth’s atmosphere consists mainly of nitrogen and oxygen.
The Earth orbits the Sun once every 365.25 days; meanwhile, it rotates around an imaginary line called an axis that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole. It takes 23.934 hours to complete one revolution on its axis.
Puzzling six-exoplanet system with rhythmic movement challenges theories of how planets form
Using a combination of telescopes, including the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory (ESO’s VLT), astronomers have revealed a system consisting of...
The rate at which ice is disappearing across the planet is speeding up
Global ice loss increases at a record rate.
Where did Earth’s nitrogen come from? Study finds the answer
Rice-led study shows two distinct origins of life-essential elements on the present-day planet.
A two-step formation process of the early Solar System
A new theoretical framework for the formation and structure of the Solar System.
Astronomers dissected the anatomy of two planetary nebulae
Shedding new light on nebula formation processes.
Gulf of Mexico: Understanding the secret behind its basin’s success
The secret buried beneath...
Super-Earth discovered near one of the oldest stars in the galaxy
The hot planet orbits its star twice during every Earth day.
Ancient Earth may have given birth to islands of life
Islands jutting up from the world’s oceans provided environmental conditions necessary for early life to flourish.
There are more than 100,000 craters on the moon
That's far more than the 9,137 officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union.
Our solar system might be a lot hairer than previously thought
Earth may be surrounded by hairy dark matter.
Mass extinctions of land-dwelling animals follow a 27-million-year cycle
Timing of mass extinctions lines up with asteroid impacts and massive volcanic eruptions.
When did earth’s plate subduction begin?
Several billion-year-old rocks tell the story of the planet’s transition from alien landscape to one of continents, oceans, and ultimately life.