1. The Earth is over 4 billion years old!

About 4.543 billion years, to be precise! In fact it’s so old that humanity is barely a blip in it’s history! Really puts  your math homework into perspective, doesn’t it?

2. The Earth is not (technically) a sphere!

And no, it’s not flat either, whatever your dad’s friend Crazy Paul says. The Earth is NEARLY a sphere – it’s actually a bit squashed due to rotational force. It’s barely noticeable though, so for all intents and purposes, the Earth is more or less a sphere.

3. The Earth’s core is made of metal!

Mostly iron and nickel, in fact. This core is hot, and we mean HOT; in fact it’s about the same temperature as the surface of the sun! Luckily there are several layers between the core and us which stops us feeling too toasty!

4. The Earth is 71% water!

Or at least, it’s surface is 71% covered in water. The rest is land, which you’re probably on right now.  Water is really important because without it, life on Earth would be impossible; yes, that includes you!

5. Earth is the third planet from the Sun!

In terms of distance, Earth is third from the sun, Mercury being first, Venus being second and Mars being fourth. Our position in the solar system is what makes life possible – we get exactly the right amount of light and energy from the sun where we are. Any closer and we’d start hotting up!

6. The Earth is magnetic!

Earth has something called a ‘magnetic field’, which is strongest as the poles – The Arctic and the Antarctic. It’s basically like a protective shield, protecting us from particles and other debris and rays from space.

7. The Earth is unique in supporting life!

No other planet in our solar system has life, at least not on the same levels as Earth. This is because Earth is in the exact right position from the sun, as well as having water and oxygen, which are vital for life to survive. Scientists have found evidence of microbes and water on other planets, but so far nowhere else has the right conditions to make life like ours possible. Although of course, there may be alien life out there somewhere…

8. You weigh less at the equator than at the North Pole!

This is to do with gravity – the equator is line which runs around the middle of the planet. Gravity is weaker there  because of the Earth’s centrifugal force, and hence your weight changes, although not enough for you to really notice.

9. Earth may have had another moon a long time ago!

Yes, once upon a time there might have been two moons! Scientist’s think that these two moons may have collided at one point, giving us just one  today. We also have several small asteroids that have been picked up in the Earth’s gravitational force and revolve around the Earth, and some people like to say these are moons too. But we can all agree, there’s no moon like the real one!

10. We travel around the Sun at 67,000mph!

Even when you’re standing still, you’re not really standing still, because the Earth is always moving round the sun – at 67,000mph in fact! That sounds very very fast, but the reason we can’t feel it is because the Earth is so big.

11. There are not 24 hours in a day!

It’s 23.9 hours! That’s the actual length of a day on Earth – measured by Earth making one complete rotation of the sun.

12. The name ‘Earth’ has been around for 1000 years!

The name ‘Earth’ is a Germanic word that dates back 1,000 years and simply means ‘the ground’. So now you know!

13. Jupiter is much bigger than the Earth!

Earth is 11 times smaller than Jupiter – the largest planet in our Solar System.

14. The Earth’s atmosphere is very complex!

The Earth’s atmosphere is made up of a mixture of gases: 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and the final percentage include gases such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

15. Earth’s pretty, pretty big!

Earth’s radius is 3958 miles, making it the fifth largest planet found in our Solar System!