Fast Facts for Kids
Earth Facts for Kids

Earth Facts for Kids

  • Planet Name: Earth
  • Planet Type: Terrestrial
  • Region: Inner Solar System
  • Moons: 1
  • Rotation Period: 0.99726968 (Earth days)
  • Sun Orbit Period: 1.0000174 (Earth years)
  • Discovered: 5th Century BCE (First concept)

16 Earth Facts For Kids

  1. The planet Earth was formed from a small part of a giant molecular cloud that had a gravitational collapse about 4.6 billion years ago.
  2. Earth was first observed and photographed from space on October 24th, 1946, using a V-2 missile carrying a motion picture camera. The concept of Earth being a spherical planet goes back to 5th century BCE.
  3. Earth is classified as a terrestrial planet (telluric or rocky planet).
  4. Earth’s atmosphere contains approximately 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1% argon.
  5. Earth is the third closest planet to the Sun at 92,956,050 miles or 1 astronomical unit.
  6. Earth is the fourth smallest planet in our Solar System with a radius of 3,959 miles.
  7. Light from the Sun takes 8.3 minutes (499 seconds) to reach Earth.
  8. Earth completes an orbit around the Sun every 1.0000174 Earth years.
  9. Earth completes a full planet rotation every 0.99726968 Earth days.
  10. Earth is the third hottest planet in our Solar System with an average surface temperature of 59 °F.
  11. Earth has one moon (natural satellite).
  12. Earth is one of the four planets in our Solar System that doesn’t have a ring system.
  13. The surface has been explored by humans since the prehistoric times. We didn’t begin to explore our planet from space until the 1940s.
  14. A Nazi German test launch of a V-2 rocket on June 20th, 1944, became the first man-made object to reach outer space.
  15. The first image of Earth from outer space was taken on October 24th, 1946, using a V-2 missile and a motion picture camera.
  16. The first successful orbital launch of a man-made object was Sputnik 1 on October 4th, 1957.

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Earth Pictures

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the below images will be helpful for your research on the planet Earth. Below are three various pictures of Earth. These pictures should help you better understand Earth, one of the eight planets in our Solar System.

First Image of Earth from Space

A picture of the first image of Earth from space.

Credit: U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range / Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
Earth from the Surface of the Moon

A picture of Earth from the surface of the Moon.

Credit: NASA
Earth from the International Space Station

A picture of Earth from the International Space Station.

Credit: NASA/Reid Wiseman

Planet Earth Resources

We hope you found the above Earth facts, information, data, and pictures both fun and educational. You can continue to research the planet Earth using one of the below additional resources. They were chosen for their credibility and accuracy; you can trust their information when it comes to Earth. Thank you for choosing Fast Facts for Kids.