Earth explained to kids

Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only planet on which we know there is life. Earth is the fifth largest planet in our solar system. It is the only planet on which we know there is life. The distance around Earth's equator is about 40,075 kilometers (24,901 miles). From pole to pole, Earth is about 12,714 kilometers (7,926 miles) wide. Earth's diameter is about 12,742 kilometers (7,918 miles), which is slightly smaller than Venus. Earth's gravity is the force that keeps you on the ground and pulls objects towards the center of the planet. Earth's gravity comes from all its mass. All its mass makes a combined gravitational pull on all the mass in your body. That's what gives you weight. And if you were on a planet with less mass than Earth, you would weigh less than you do here. Earth's atmosphere is a thin layer of gases that surrounds our planet. The air is made up of about 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen. There are also small amounts of other gases, including carbon dioxide, water vapor, and argon. The average temperature on Earth is 61 degrees Fahrenheit (16 degrees Celsius). But it can get much hotter or colder where you live. The hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth was 134 degrees Fahrenheit (57 degrees Celsius). That was in Death Valley, California, in 1913. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -128.6 degrees Fahrenheit (-89.2 degrees Celsius). That was in Antarctica in 1983. Earth's day is the time it takes for the planet to make one complete turn on its axis. One day on Earth is 24 hours long. Earth's year is the time it takes for the planet to make one complete orbit around the Sun. One year on Earth is 365.24 days long. There are four main seasons on Earth: winter, spring, summer, and fall. The seasons are caused by the way the Earth's tilt on its axis affects the amount of sunlight each hemisphere gets. Earth has one natural satellite, the moon. The moon orbits Earth as Earth orbits the Sun. It takes the moon 27.3 days to go around Earth once.