# data[].attributes.body
Gravity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Gravity is what we call an 'invisible force of nature', but in reality it exists throughout the universe. Gravity is one of the fundamental forces of nature along with: electromagnetism, weal nuclear forces and strong nuclear forces. Gravity is what keeps all of us on the ground, the planets in their orbits and the galaxies spinning.

# data[].attributes.body
Gravity facts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kids learn about the science behind gravity, the mysterious force of planet earth including why it is important, what is weight, and fun facts. What is gravity?

# data[].attributes.body
Gravity facts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Defining Gravity: Crash Course Kids #4.1

# data[].attributes.body
Gravity facts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What is gravity?

Gravity attracts all objects towards each other. Gravity has been around since the very beginning of the universe, and it works the same way everywhere in the universe, on all kinds of different objects, of all different sizes (larger than atoms - those are held together by atomic forces instead).

How much gravity an object has depends on how big it is (or to be specific, how much mass it has). It also depends on how close you are to the object; the closer you are, the stronger the gravity.

Gravity is very important to our everyday lives. Without Earth's gravity we would fly right off our planet! We'd all have to be strapped down all the time and if you kicked a ball, it would fly off forever. While it might be fun to try for a few minutes, we certainly couldn't live life on Earth without gravity.

Gravity also is important on a larger scale. It is the Sun's gravity that keeps the Earth in orbit around the Sun. Life on Earth needs the Sun's light and warmth to survive. Gravity helps the Earth to stay just the right distance from the Sun, so it's not too hot or too cold.

Nobody fully understands how gravity works, or even why gravity exists. One way of looking at gravity is to think of it not as a force like magnetism, but instead as a natural result of the way mass bends space. Any object with mass (like a star) pushes on space and bends it, so that other objects (like planets) that are moving in a straight line are also going around the star. It looks to us like the star is pulling on the planet, but really the star is bending space.

Top 10 facts

1. The bigger the object's mass, the more gravity it will have; the smaller the mass of the object, the less gravity it is subject to.

2. Gravity guides the growth of plants and other vegetation.

3. Black holes have the strongest gravitational pull in the entire universe.

4. The Earth is a giant magnet. Its magnetic field is like a bar magnet at its centre.

5. Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity about 300 years ago. The story is that Newton saw an apple fall out of a tree. When this happened he realised there was a force that made it occur, and he called it gravity.

6. Ocean tides are caused by the gravity of the moon.

7. If you could travel from planet to planet your mass would stay the same, but your weight would vary depending on how the gravity of that planet pulled on you. Mars is smaller and has less mass than Earth and as a result it has less gravity. If you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would weigh 38 pounds on Mars.

8. At some point when falling, the friction from the air will equal the force of gravity and the object will be at a constant speed. This is called the terminal velocity. For a sky diver this speed is around 100 miles per hour!

9. We don't actually "feel" gravity. We only feel the effects of trying to overcome it by jumping or when we fall.

10. Gravity always pulls, it never pushes.

Did you know?

You are shrinking right now. Every day you are taller in the morning than you are at night. In fact, at the end of each day you are about 1/2 inch (1.25 centimetres) shorter than when you got up that morning. If you don't believe it, have someone measure you when you get up in the morning and then again before you go to bed. This isn't because your heavy backpack has weighed you down. It happens because of gravity. As you walk around during the day, gravity is pulling you down, or more correctly, toward the centre of Earth. Lying down to sleep at night gives your spine a chance to stretch back to your full height.

On Earth, gravity isn't entirely even. Because the globe isn't a perfect sphere, its mass is distributed unevenly, which means slightly uneven gravity.

One mysterious gravitational anomaly is in the Hudson Bay of Canada. This area has lower gravity than other regions, and a 2007 study found that now-melted glaciers were to blame. The ice that once covered the area during the last Ice Age has long since melted, but the Earth hasn't entirely snapped back from the burden. Since gravity over an area is proportional to the mass on top of that region, and the glacier's imprint pushed aside some of the Earth's mass, gravity is a bit less strong in the ice sheet's imprint. The slight deformation of the crust explains the unusually low gravity in the area. In some places, it's almost half as strong as it is elsewhere!

Black holes are some of the most destructive objects in the universe, named because nothing, not even light, can escape their gravitational clutches. At the centre of our galaxy is a massive black hole with the mass of 3 million suns. The black hole isn't really a danger to us Earthlings - it's both far away and it's remarkably calm.

In the very beginning of the universe, after the Big Bang, gravity pulled atoms together to make stars and planets. Once the stars and planets had formed, gravity kept the planets in orbit around the stars, and moons orbiting around the planets. And on each planet that is large enough, gravity keeps an atmosphere around the planet.

On Earth, gravity keeps the air around us (and everything else) from drifting off into space. Gravity also causes hot air to rise while colder air falls (which in turn causes wind).

Gravity gallery:

Astronauts dealing with a lack of gravity!

As skydivers fall to Earth the force pulling them down is gravity.

Gravity holds the moon in orbit around Earth

All objects fall at the same rate - air resistance affects this speed.

Items with a different mass fall at the same rate in a vacuum.

It is said that Sir Isaac Newton wrote his theory about gravity after watching an apple fall to the ground.

A portrait of Sir Isaac Newton.

Gallery

About

Gravity or gravitational forces are forces of attraction. It's like the Earth pulling on you and keeping you on the ground. That pull is gravity at work.

Every object in the universe that has mass exerts a gravitational pull, or force, on every other mass. The size of the pull depends on the masses of the objects. You exert a gravitational force on the people around you, but that force isn't very strong, since people aren't very big. When you look at really large masses, like the Earth and Moon, the gravitational pull becomes very impressive. The gravitational force between the Earth and the molecules of gas in the atmosphere is strong enough to hold the atmosphere close to our surface. Smaller planets, that have less mass, may not be able to hold an atmosphere.

A larger size does not mean a bigger mass. Imagine two balls that are about the same size, like a football and a bowling ball. Will they have the same mass? No.

An easy way to think about mass is to consider how much matter or "stuff" you can find inside the object. The amount of matter in the object will affect how heavy it is, meaning gravity has plenty of matter to 'grab onto'. In the case of the football, air molecules make up most of its inside. The outside of the ball looks solid, but cut it in half and the ball will look like an empty shell. Whereas the inside of a bowling ball is usually completely solid, so if you cut it in half you will end up with two solid pieces. The bowling ball has more matter inside it, making it denser than the football. Therefore, its mass will be greater than the soccer ball's mass.

Mass is measured in grams (g) or kilograms (kg) but is NOT a force. The weight of an object is the force caused by gravity pulling down on the mass of an object. It is measured in newtons (N). Weight is measured using a force meter. The bigger the weight attached to the force meter, the more the spring inside the force meter stretches.

The Earth always produces the same acceleration on every object. If you drop an acorn or a piano, they will gain velocity (speed) at the same rate. Although the gravitational force the Earth exerts on the objects is different, their masses are just as different, so the effect we observe (acceleration) is the same for each. The Earth's gravitational force accelerates objects when they fall. It constantly pulls, and the objects constantly speed up. You might be thinking, "What about feathers? They fall so slowly." Obviously, there is air all around us. When a feather falls, it falls slowly because the air is in its way. There is a lot of air resistance and that resistance makes the feather move more slowly. The forces at work are the same. If you dropped a feather in a container with no air (a vacuum), it would drop as fast as a baseball.

Isaac Newton was an incredibly clever man. He was a scientist and a mathematician. In 1687, Newton published a book about mathematics which is thought to be one of the important books in the history of science. In it he describes universal gravitation and the three laws of motion, concepts that remained at the forefront of science for centuries after. Newton was known to have said that his work on formulating a theory of gravitation was inspired by watching an apple fall from a tree and wondering about what made it fall downwards.

Words to know:

Universe - all matter and energy that exists in the vastness of space, whether known to human beings or not
Gravity - the attraction due to gravitation that the Earth or another astronomical object exerts on an object on or near its surface
Atoms - the smallest portion into which an element can be divided
Mass - an object has mass (say 100 kg).This makes it heavy enough to weigh 100 kg
Orbit - the path that an astronomical object such as a planet, moon, or satellite follows around a larger astronomical object such as the Sun
Magnetism - the phenomenon of physical attraction for iron, found in magnets or made by a moving electric charge or current
Friction - the rubbing of two objects against each other when one or both are moving
Anomaly - something strange and difficult to identify or classify
Deformation - the act or process of damaging, disfiguring, or spoiling the look of something, or the condition of being damaged, disfigured, or spoiled
Denser - closer together, more tightly-packed
Newtons - The correct unit for measuring force is the Newton, which is abbreviated N.
Force meter - Force meters contain a spring connected to a metal hook. The spring stretches when a force is applied to the hook. The bigger the force applied, the longer the spring stretches and the bigger the reading.
Velocity - the speed at which something moves or happens
Concepts - ideas or principles

Related Videos

Just for fun...

Best kids' books about gravity

Find out more about gravity:

See for yourself

Try some practical science experiments: understand more about gravity and explain what you know or try one of TheSchoolRun's at-home science experiments ( Experiments and science fun for KS1 and KS2, a subscriber resource).

Watch Expedition 16 flight engineer Dan Tani discuss and demonstrate gravity and Newton's laws from the International Space Station on the NASA website

Also see

Give your child a headstart

FREE articles & expert information

FREE resources & activities

FREE homework help

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Interesting information, did-you-knows, fascinating facts, images and videos about gravity, to support primary school topic work.

# data[].attributes.body
Earthquake facts

# data[].attributes.body
Hurricane

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Hurricane | The Dr. Binocs Show | Educational Videos For Kids

# data[].attributes.body
Tsumami

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Tsunami | The Dr. Binocs Show | Educational Videos For Kids

# data[].attributes.body
Earthquakes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What Is An Earthquake? | The Dr. Binocs Show | Educational Videos For Kids

# data[].attributes.body
Volcano facts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What is a Volcano? Facts & Information - Geography for Kids | Educational Videos by Mocomi

# data[].attributes.body
Volcano facts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Volcanoes, Their Formation, Impact, & Eruption - Interesting & Educational Videos for Kids, Children

# data[].attributes.body
Volcano facts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Explore Volcanoes With Nat Geo Kids! | Nat Geo Kids Volcano Playlist

# data[].attributes.body
Volcano facts

# data[].attributes.body
Volcanoes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Volcano | The Dr. Binocs Show | Learn Videos For Kids

# data[].attributes.body
Water

# data[].attributes.body
Earth facts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Everything You Need to Know About Planet Earth

# data[].attributes.body
Earth facts

# data[].attributes.body
Earth song

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Planet Earth | Space Explained by KLT!

# data[].attributes.body
Earth

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
25 Biggest, Tallest, Deepest, And Smallest Places In The World

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
From the dark depths of the ocean to some of the highest peaks on Earth these are the 25 biggest, tallest, deepest, and smallest places in the world! https://twitter.com/list25 https://www.facebook.com/list25 http://list25.com Check out the text version too!

# data[].attributes.body
Earth facts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Planet Earth: Astronomy and Space for Kids - FreeSchool

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our home plane Earth is the third planet from the sun. We have one moon, liquid water, and life! Earth is the only planet we know suitable for life, so let's take care of it, shall we? Learn about the layers of the earth, what our atmosphere does for us, and why years and days are the lengths they are.

# data[].attributes.body
Atmosphere

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Learn About Planet Earth - Earth's Atmosphere

# data[].attributes.body
Equator

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why is it so Hot Near the Equator? - Geography for Kids | Mocomi

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
http://mocomi.com/ presents : Why is it so hot near the Equator - Geography Videos for Kids Countries, towns and cities located around the equator experience hot weather throughout the year. It is because the sun remains almost directly overhead everyday.

# data[].attributes.body
Continents

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
7 Continents of the World - Geography for Kids | Mocomi

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
http://mocomi.com/ presents: 7 Continents of the world Continents are very large landmasses found on Earth. The Earth has seven such continents. They are (from largest in size to the smallest): Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia. Asia - Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent on Earth.

# data[].attributes.body
Layers of Earth song

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
layers of the earth rap ( unofficial music video)

# data[].attributes.body
Gravity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Gravity | The Dr. Binocs Show | Learn Videos For Kids

# data[].attributes.body
Inside Earth

# data[].attributes.body
Layers of Earth

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
structure of the earth and its components

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Structure Of The Earth | The Dr. Binocs Show | Educational Videos For Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn about the Structure Of The Earth with Dr. Binocs. Hey kids! Did you know that our planet Earth is made up of three distinct layers? And that each of these layers have their own distinct properties? Join Dr. Binocs as he takes you through the journey inside the Earth and explains about the structure of the Earth.

# data[].attributes.body
Layers of Earth

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Layers of the Earth | #aumsum #kids #science #education #children

# data[].attributes.body
9 facts about Earth

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
9 Interesting Facts About Earth | Earth Facts For Kids | Interesting Information About Earth

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Planet Earth

What does this planet look like?

Earth, the only planet in the solar system known to support life, is a beautiful planet composed 71% of salt water and 30% land and fresh water on its surface. From space, the oceans give it a bluish color, land regions look brown, and cloud cover looks white. Earth features a variety of landforms and landscapes, all of which are hospitable to some forms of life. Over two million different forms of life have been identified on planet Earth to this day, but scientists believe there are millions more that have yet to be identified. Planet Earth, like Mercury and Venus, features mountain ranges, canyons, ridges, plains, and regions of volcanic activity. Unlike the aforementioned terrestrial planets, Earth features numerous water sources - the ultimate key to life. The total of all of the water on Earth (to a depth of 2,000 meters) is known as its hydrosphere.

How big is this planet?

The surface area of the Earth covers apx. 510,072,000 km², 361,132,000 km² of which is water. The total mass of the Earth is apx. 5.9736 × 10²4 kg - a number very hard to conceptualize.

How long does it take to orbit the sun?

365 days

What is its gravity like?

Earth's gravity is defined mathematically in this formula:

gravity on earth = 9.80665 m / s2

Essentially, this formula describes how the acceleration of an object falling freely near the Earth's surface increases by about 9.8 meters per second every second.

How far is it from the sun?

The Earth orbits the sun at an average distance of about 93,000,000 miles

What is its atmosphere like?

The atmosphere of Earth is 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and trace amounts of water vapor, carbon dioxide and other gaseous molecules. The presence of oxygen on Earth is unique among planets in our solar system and is generated by the planet's plants. Scientists note that Earth's biosphere began altering its atmosphere some 2.7 billion years ago, with the evolution of photosynthesis. The production of oxygen enabled the proliferation of organisms that can succeed in oxygenated settings and also enabled the formation of the ozone layer to protect the planet from most of the sun's harmful ultra-violet rays. This, combined with the greenhouse effect, the planet's tendency to capture and re-radiate energy from the ground, served to moderate temperature in most parts of the planet, enabling life to evolve.

What's the temperature like?

Temperatures on Earth fluctuate according to location. The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was -128.6 F in Antarctica. The hottest temperature ever recorded was 136 degrees F at Al' Aziziyah, Libya. The overall average temperature of Earth is somewhere in the vicinity of a relatively comfortable 59 degrees F.

How many moons does it have?

The Earth has one moon that controls the ocean tides through magnetic attraction. On average, the moon is about 238,885 miles from Earth. Most people drive three times that many miles in their lifetimes.

Interesting Facts:

*Human beings are thought to be responsible for the Earth's increasing surface temperatures, a phenomenon known as global warming.

* For much of history, the human population believed Earth was flat and the center of the universe.

Earth Video

History of Earth (1hr. 31min.)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Planet Earth What does this planet look like? Earth, the only planet in the solar system known to support life, is a beautiful planet composed 71% of salt water and 30% land and fresh water on its surface. From space, the oceans give it a bluish color, land regions look brown, and cloud cover looks white.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Earth Facts

Check out our range of fun planet Earth facts for kids and find interesting information about our world, including facts related to volcanoes, earthquakes, minerals, structures, gas and much more.

Children will love the cool trivia, did you know facts and other interesting Earth info that will help them learn a thing or two along the way. Read on and enjoy learning about the amazing planet we live on.

Magma is the hot liquid rock under the surface of the Earth, it is known as lava after it comes out of a volcano.

Natural gas doesn't have an odour, strong smells are added to it by humans so it can be detected when there are leaks.

Hawaii is moving towards Japan at the speed of 10cm a year. This is because they are on different tectonic plates.

The world's largest desert (outside of the polar regions) is the Sahara, it covers about one third of Africa!

Stretching out to an impressive length of 6696 kilometres (4160 miles) long, the Nile River is the longest river on earth.

The volcanic rock known as pumice is the only rock that can float in water.

Mt Everest is the highest mountain on earth, its peak reaches 8,848 metres (29029 feet) above sea level. Check out the highest mountains on each continent of the Earth.

On average the Atlantic Ocean is the saltiest of Earth's major oceans.

Scientists have the dated the Earth as being between 4 and 5 billion years old!

Talc is the softest mineral found on Earth, reaching just 1 on Mohs scale of hardness, it is often used to make talcum powder.

The Niagara Falls are located on the border of the USA and Canada.

Rock found at the bottom of the Grand Canyon is around 2 billion years old.

Although earthquakes can be deadly, most are very small and not even felt by humans.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Planet Earth Facts for Kids - Interesting Information about Our World

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Earth Facts Check out our range of fun planet Earth facts for kids and find interesting information about our world, including facts related to volcanoes, earthquakes, minerals, structures, gas and much more. Children will love the cool trivia, did you know facts and other interesting Earth info that will help them learn a thing or two along the way.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The planet Earth is a very special planet indeed. It is the only planet that we know of that is able to house living things, from plants to animals to humans - even though it has not always been able to do so. Earth has changed a lot since it was formed and it continues to evolve today with the life that it supports. Below are some facts on this amazing planet that we call home and where we fit in the solar system.

Earth is the third planet from the sun. Falling behind Mercury and Venus and in front of Mars.

Earth is the only planet in our solar system that can support life. This is because it is so well protected by its atmosphere, has water on its surface and breathable oxygen levels.

Earth is the only planet with water in liquid form on it's surface. This takes up 70% of the planet.

Earth takes just over 365 days to rotate around the sun. 365 and a quarter to be exact. That's why a year is usually 365 days and every four years we have a leap year with 366 days in it. This extra day is always the 29th of February.

The earth takes 24 hours to turn on its axis. This is why we spend half of the day with daylight, when our part of the earth is facing the sun. and the other half in darkness when we are facing away from it.

The Earth is travelling through space at roughly 67000 miles (107,826 kilometres) per hour.

The Earth is tilted to a 23.5 degree angle and this is what gives us seasons. This makes the Earth point in a certain direction as it goes around the sun meaning throughout a year parts of Earth are different distances away from the sun.

The North Pole always points in the same direction. When it points towards the sun it is Summer in the Northern Hemisphere and Winter in the Southern Hemisphere. When it is pointing away from the sun, this reverses meaning it is then Winter in the Nothern Hemisphere and Summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

Earth is the only planet with a breathable level of oxygen - 21%. The rest of Earths atmosphere is made up of 78% nitrogen with trace amounts of other gases such as carbon dioxide.

The reason Earth has plenty of oxygen when other planets don't is because of the large amounts of plant life. The plants use up the carbon dioxide during photosynthesis.

Earth is the only planet not named after a mythical being. Instead it's name comes from the old English word "Ertha" meaning ground or soil.

Planet Earth was formed around 4.54 billion years ago. However it was not how it is today and life would not have been possible for a very long time. The Earth has been constantly changing since it was formed and is still changing today.

It is believed the first life on Earth began in the oceans.

Ancient astronomers believed Earth to be the center of the solar system and that all other planets orbited around it. In 1543 a Sun Centered model of the solar system was published which showed the Sun to be the centre of the solar system.

The Earth has its own moon which it is tidally locked to. It rotates in the same amount of time it takes to orbit so the same side of the moon is always facing the Earth.

The Earths rotation is slowing down over time. This is happening very slowly but in around 104 million years a day on Earth will go from being 24 hours to 25 hours.

The Earth has a diameter of 7928 miles (12760 kilometres). That is the distance measured around the Equator, which is the line around Earth dividing the northern and southern hemispheres.

A very long time ago the Earths water was actually under the surface before volcanic activity brought it to the surface. Recent discovery has shown large volumes of water - enough to fill our oceans three times - are still near the Earth's core.

The highest point on Earth is Mount Everest which is 5.45 miles (8.8km) high.

Earth has a lot less craters than the surface of most other planets. This is because the planet has lots of volcanoes and earthquakes which cause the highs and lows of the surface to sink or be worn down over time.

The Earth has an Ozone Layer. This is a shell that protects the Earth from a lot of the Sun's harmful ultraViolet rays. These would be damaging to animals, humans and plantlife. Life could not continue on Earth without the Ozone Layer.

Earth has a very powerful magnetic field. This protects the planets atmosphere from solar winds. These solar winds would otherwise strip away our precious ozone layer. It is thought that the lack of atmosphere on Mars is because of the loss of its magnetic field.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Earth Facts for Kids | Amazing Facts About Earth

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The planet Earth is a very special planet indeed. It is the only planet that we know of that is able to house living things, from plants to animals to humans - even though it has not always been able to do so.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kids learn about the planet Earth of the Solar System including fun facts, mass, day, year, and distance from the Sun. Astronomy for kids and teachers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Read our facts about Earth and review our question sheet in the activity section at the end to test your knowledge of our wonderful home planet!

We live in a very special place, a place we call home...and that's Earth! Here we've got some awesome facts about Earth that will knock your socks off. Read on and prepare to be amazed!

Did you know that the Earth isn't really round? It's actually more of a sphere shape. The reason for this is because of gravitational pull. This pull gives it a few bulges and bumps...so watch where you walk!

Bet you thought there were 24 hours in a day. Yes? Well there actually aren't, there are 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds. Remember that fact and tell your teacher next time she asks, maybe you'll surprise her!

The Oceans on Earth

Oceans cover most of the Earth's surface, but did you know that we've only discovered 10% of it. Although we've found thousands of species, experts think that there could be at least 25 million more that are just waiting there in that 90% of the oceans that we haven't even set foot in, or should we say dived in.

All the continents on Earth used to be one large continent millions of years ago. How big that must have been! It was called Pangea and it began to break apart and separate 200 million years ago. And that's how all our continents that we have today formed. Amazing stuff huh?

If you like lots of people around, then Greenland is not the place for you. It is the least populated place on Earth, with only 56,000 people in a 1, 2 million square mile (2 million square kilometer) area. Wow, it would be hard to find friends here!

Another planet like Earth?

Scientists are looking for a new planet that people could live on, just like Earth. They have found a couple which could be possibilities, which include Kepler 22b which circles around a star much like our planet does.

Wonder if this will ever happen in our lifetimes, where instead of moving to a new city you move to a new planet!

Earth used to have a twin. Now who would think that a planet would have a twin, that's weird! Anyway its twin was called Theia. It was the same size as Mars and was either 60⁰ in front or behind us.

Apparently, Theia crashed into Earth millions of years ago and well Earth was clearly hungry as it gobbled it all up, except for the bit that is now the moon! Wow! Scientists believe that as our Moon is actually too big for our planet and is made up of a lot of the same things that Earth is made up of! Wonder if that's really true?

Did you know that Antarctica contains 70% of the world's drinkable water? All that water just from one place...that's amazing. It also has 90% of Earth's ice. Wow, who would have thought that Antarctica gives us so much?

The World's Longest Mountain Range

The world's longest mountain range is actually underwater! It's called the Atlantic Mid Ocean Ridge System. It stretches about 50,000 miles (80,000 kilometers) and it's nearly 20 times longer than the Andes Mountains above ground.

Wow, that's quite something.

Now this is something to celebrate! In 2012 the hole in the ozone layer was smaller than it had ever been in 10 years! Hope you're doing your bit to save our planet!

2 gallons (1 liter) of seawater contains a billionth of a gram of gold. Well get down to the beach right now and start collecting! Maybe you'll be rich one day!

The Earth could be Venus!

Imagine Earth being like the surface of Venus? We certainly wouldn't be able to live here, that's for sure! Well did you know that the Earth is the only planet in our solar system that has tectonic plates? And, even more amazingly, without them, our planet would overheat and become exactly like Venus!

Gravity isn't the same everywhere on Earth. So there are some areas that have more gravity than others. That's interesting. If you live in Hudson Bay, Canada then you're living in a place that has a lower gravity than most areas. Apparently this is because of the ice glaciers that used to be there.

Have you ever wondered where the most species are found? In reserves, in the sea, in rainforests? Well, the most species are found in underwater coral reefs! There are more species here than even rainforests!

The deepest point on Earth

The deepest point on Earth is in the Mariana Trench. It goes down, down, down for a humongous 36,000 feet (10,916 meters). That would take a long time to get down surely!

Have you ever heard of an exploding lake? Well there are three lakes in Africa that do just this. In Cameroon, Rwanda and the Congo, the lakes Nyos, Monoun and Kivu are all crater lakes that sit above volcanic ground.

The magma bubbling underneath can release deadly gases and then just like that the lake can explode. That would be an amazing sight to see!

Have you heard that there are millions and millions of species of on Earth? Well guess what? Only 14% of the world's species have actually been discovered and identified. That's crazy!

This will blow your mind. There are 8.6 million lightning strikes on the surface of the planet every year. Watch out for those lightning storms!

So, now you're all clued up on Earth and know some awesome facts about our home planet!

Activity Time

Click to download or print our question sheet to use at home or in class!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Read our facts about Earth and review our question sheet in the activity section at the end to test your knowledge of our wonderful home planet! We live in a very special place, a place we call home...and that's Earth! Here we've got some awesome facts about Earth that will knock your socks off.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Top

PLANET EARTH - OUR PLANET

Beautiful Earth, home to plants, animals and humans, is the third planet from the Sun. It's the fifth largest planet. Some of the other planets have atmospheres, seasons and even water, but only Earth combines all these elements in just the right way. Earth is the only place in the solar system where life is known to be found.

Most of the places on Earth experience four seasons, caused by the earth's rotation and tilt. When it's winter in the northern hemisphere, it's summer in the southern hemisphere, and vice versa. The Earth is surrounded by a blanket of gases that protects it from the sun. The atmosphere is mostly nitrogen - about 78 percent. The atmosphere also contains oxygen.

Fun Facts about Earth for Kids

Earth is often called the ocean planet. Its surface is 70 percent water. The oceans help regulate the temperature of the planet and influence weather.

The Earth has a molten inner core made of iron and other metals. Under the Earth's crust are plates that slowly move against each other (Plate Tectonics). This movement causes mountains, hills, volcanoes and even earthquakes.

The Earth's atmosphere protects the planet from meteors. They usually burn up before they reach the Earth's surface. Earth's atmosphere reaches out for 10,000 km (6,213.7 miles).

A strong magnetic field keeps our atmosphere securely blanketed around the Earth.

Earth is the only planet that mankind didn't name after a God.

In our solar system, Earth is the most dense planet.

The International Space Station is the most expensive man made object costing more than $150 billion and still has ongoing maintenance costs.

The Earth's circumference is 24,901 miles.

The Earth travels around the sun at a whopping 67,000 mph.

The hottest temperature recorded on our planet was in a place called El Azizia in Libya, the temperature recorded in 1922 was 136 degrees Fahrenheit.

The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth at ground level was -128.6 degrees Fahrenheit in Antarctica 1983.

The tallest mountain on Earth above sea level in Mount Everest. The tallest mountain on Earth from base to summit is actually Mauna Kea, however 16,400 feet of Mauna Kea is below sea level.

It is estimated that there is over 6,000 lightening flashes around the Earth every single minute.

The Earth's most active volcano is the Stromboli Volcano in Italy.

The Earth has seven continents, the largest is Asia and the smallest is Australia.

Dinosaurs last roamed the Earth about 65 million years ago.

The Blue Whale is the largest mammal on Earth.

Our largest ocean is the Pacific Ocean.

The Earth's atmosphere protects the planet from meteors.The atmosphere is mostly nitrogen - about 78 percent. The atmosphere also contains oxygen.

Earth Vocabulary

Rotation: turning

Hemisphere: half of the Earth's surface

Molten: metal or rock that is so hot that it melts and becomes liquid

Meteors: flying pieces of rock and space debris

Learn More All About Earth, Our Planet

Watch and listen to this Earth video:
A video song all about Earth.

Earth QUESTIONS & ANSWERS for kids

When was the first photo of Earth taken from space? +

Is Earth the only planet in the solar system that has life? +

Can earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and their consequences be predicted? +

What are other inner planets apart from the Earth? +

How many satellites does earth have? +

Is it the only planet that has liquid water on its surface? +

Close
Cite This Page

You may cut-and-paste the below MLA and APA citation examples:

MLA Style Citation

Declan, Tobin. " Earth Fun Facts for Kids ." Easy Science for Kids, Oct 2020. Web. 14 Oct 2020. < >.

APA Style Citation

Tobin, Declan. (2020). Earth Fun Facts for Kids. Easy Science for Kids. Retrieved from

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Top Beautiful Earth, home to plants, animals and humans, is the third planet from the Sun. It's the fifth largest planet. Some of the other planets have atmospheres, seasons and even water, but only Earth combines all these elements in just the right way.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Introduction:

Each time you look up to the sky and see a star you are looking at a sun in another galaxy. If you were on another planet looking back at our solar system, you would see our sun as a star.

It's believed that every sun has planets orbiting it. Our Milky Way galaxy has more planets than it has stars. In our solar system we have eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are the inner rocky planets. Jupiter and Saturn are the outer gas giants. Uranus and Neptune are the outer ice giants.

In recent years, astronomers have designed a new class called the "dwarf planets." These are smaller worlds, not quite big enough to be considered a standard planet, and include Pluto. Earth is the third planet from the sun.

Earth Statistics:

Population: 7.53 billion (2017) Trending, World Bank

View on Maps: google.com/maps/space/earth

Distance from Sun: 92.96 million mi

Radius: 3,959 mi

Polar Diameter: 12,714 km

Orbital Period: 265.24 days

Mass: 5.972 × 10^24 kg

Number of Moons: 1

Age: 4.543 billion years

How did Earth get its name:

It's believed that the name "Earth" is around 1,000 years old. If you notice, except for Earth, all of the planets in our solar system are named after Roman and Greek gods and goddesses. One idea of the source of the name is that the word "Earth" is an old Germanic word that really just means "the ground."

Another thought is that the name "Earth" is derived from the Old English word "ertha" as well as the Anglo-Saxon word "erda", which means soil or ground.

Earth is the only known planet to support life and was formed around 4.54 billion years ago.

Astronomers of ancient times thought that the Earth was the center of the universe and the sun as well as all of the planets orbited around Earth.

They also thought that the Earth was static and never changed or moved. This idea was part of many cultures for over 2,000 years. It wasn't until 1543 when Copernicus created his published work of the Sun-centered Solar System model that fellow scientists realized that the sun was the center of the solar system and Earth revolved around it.

Formation:

About 4.5 billion years ago, our solar system settled into the layout that we see today. It's believed that Earth formed when gravity began pulling dust and swirling gas together, and the Earth became the third planet from the sun. Earth is one of the terrestrial planets, which means it has a central core, rocky mantle, and a crust that is solid.

Our Earth orbits the sun every 23.9 hours and it takes 365.23 days to complete an entire trip around the sun. The axis of rotation of the Earth is tilted 23.4 degrees and it's this tilt that gives us our seasonal cycles every year.

Structure and Surface:

The Earth is made up of four main layers, beginning with the planet's inner core which is enveloped by the outer core, then the mantle, and finally the crust. The inner core is around 759 mi/1,221 km in radius and is a solid sphere of nickel and iron metals.

The temperature of the inner core is as high as 9,800 degrees F/5,400 degrees C. Surrounding the inner core is the outer core, which is 1,400 mi/2,300 km thick. The outer core is made up of iron and nickel fluids.

Wedged in between the outer core and the crust is the mantle which is the thickest of all of the layers. This is a hot, thick mixture of molten rock that has the consistency of caramel and is around 1,800 mi/2,900 km thick.

The Earth's crust is the outermost layer and is an average of about 19 mi/30 km deep on land. The ocean's bottom has a thinner crust and it extends about 3 mi/5 km from the floor of the sea to the top of the mantle.

Just like Venus and Mars, Earth has mountains, volcanoes, and valleys. The "lithosphere" of the Earth includes both the oceanic and continental crust as well as the upper mantle.

It is divided into huge plates called "tectonic plates" that are constantly in motion. This movement causes the plates to collide to create mountains, split or separate, or rub against each other and create earthquakes.

The Earth has an ocean that covers almost 70% of the surface of the planet. The average depth of the ocean is around 2.5 mi/4 km and contains 97% of the water on the Earth.

Almost every one of the volcanoes on Earth is hidden under these oceans. The Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii is taller from the base to the top than Mount Everest, but a majority of the volcano is underwater.

The longest mountain range on Earth is also underwater, at the bottom of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. This mountain range is four times longer than the Rockies, Andes, and Himalayas all combined.

The land masses that make up 30% of the Earth's surface are incredibly varied. Land has continents, islands, and other land masses as well as sources of fresh water.

Many scientists believe that water was delivered to the Earth by comets and asteroids as it was forming and that much of the water was inside the planet and then brought up to the surface during volcanic activity.

Atmosphere. Magnetosphere, and Moon Status:

Earth's atmosphere consists of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and trace amounts of other gases including carbon dioxide, argon, and neon. We give credit to the plant life on Earth for generating the large amount of oxygen.

During the photosynthesis process, plants consume carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. Earth's Ozone layer consists of a special kind of oxygen that helps to absorb the harmful UV rays from the sun.

The Ozone layer protects Earth and life from the extremes of solar radiation. Our atmosphere is also responsible for both short-term and long-term weather effects on the Earth.

The atmosphere acts as a protective barrier, shielding the Earth from the impacts of meteoroids as many burn up before they have a chance to hit Earth's surface.

The magnetic field of Earth is incredibly powerful and also plays a big part in protecting our planet from the effects of solar wind. It's though that the Earth's magnetic field is due to the planet's core, which is made up of nickel-iron, combined with the fast rotation of the Earth.

It's important to realize that the rotation of the Earth is slowing down at nearing 17 milliseconds for every 100 years. The slowing down process will have an effect on the length of our days, however, it will take around 140 million years before we see a day change from 24 hours to 25 hours.

The solar wind distorts the magnetic field so that if you looked at it in space it would be a teardrop shape. The solar wind is a constant stream of charged particles that the sun ejects.

When these particles are trapped in the magnetic field of the Earth they collide with the molecules in the air above the Earth's magnetic poles. This collusion causes the molecules in the air to glow and this is known as the Aurora Borealis or northern and southern lights.

It's the Earth's magnetic field that causes the compass needles to point to the North Pole, no matter which way that you turn. However, the magnetic polarity of the Earth doesn't always stay the same, and the magnetic field can flip.

Scientists studying geological records have seen that there is a magnetic reversal every 400,000 years or so. As far as anyone knows, this flip hasn't caused harm to Earth's life, and another one isn't likely to happen for at least another thousand years.

It's guessed that when a flip does occur, compass needles will point in many different directions for a few centuries until everything settles down; and then the compasses will point south instead of north.

Earth has one moon and no rings.

Could Life Exist?

If you look around our Earth you can see that we have an incredible amount of life that exists on both the land and within the waterways and seas. Scientists have always based our definition of "life" as the carbon-based type that we have around us, including ourselves.

They established three rules that are required for life: liquid water, some source of energy such as our sun, and a source of food. However, in the past number of years experts have discovered Earth lifeforms that live outside of these ideas.

These lifeforms live in conditions that were previously thought to be uninhabitable, and they are called "extremophiles."

Scientists believe that life not only developed but adapted and thrived on Earth because of our uniquely perfect distance from the sun and the gravitational effects that the moon had on the planet.

Earth isn't too hot and isn't too cold, and this is often called the "Goldilocks distance." Our moon has created the tides on Earth, which in turn has helped life to develop.

The rotation of the moon around the Earth has caused an effect that is called being "tidally locked" so that the orbit and rotation periods are the same. This lock is what causes the moon to always be facing the same way to Earth.

The size of the Earth and the distance from the sun is critical to life on Earth. The Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planets at 3,959 mi/6,371 km radius, and the fifth largest overall planet in our solar system.

Earth is an average distance of 93 million mi/150 million km from the sun or one AU (astronomical unit). An AU is the distance from the Sun to the Earth. It takes around eight minutes for light that leaves the sun to reach the Earth.

Space Visits:

We have thousands of satellites orbiting the Earth to study specific areas as well as the entire Earth as a whole. These satellites observe the atmosphere, glaciers, oceans, and the solid earth.

Many of these satellites are also communication satellites, bringing us our cable television and our cell phone service.

Facts about Earth for Kids:

The shape of the Earth is actually closer to a squashed sphere. It's fatter in the middle near the equator where gravity pushes to create a bulge.

Even though you might think you are standing still, the Earth is turning. The speed at the equator is around 1,000 mph.

The Earth is also moving through the solar system at around 67,000 mph/107,826 kph.

Earth is constantly recycling its material through tectonic movement which drags surface rocks back down below the surface to become magma and then is spewed back out from volcanoes.

Earthquakes are the result of tectonic plate movement on the planet. The largest earthquake recorded in the U.S. was in 2016 in Alaska, registered at 9.2 on the Richter Scale; with the largest global earthquake recorded in 1960 in Chile, registering 9.5 on the Richter Scale.

The hottest recorded temperature location on the Earth is in El Azizia, Libya with temperatures hitting 136 degrees F/57.8 degrees C in 1922.

The coldest temperature location is in Antarctica with temperatures reaching -100 degrees F/-73 degrees

Pop Culture:

Discovering the nature of our home planet has been the topic of many books, movies, and television shows.

The well-known movie (and its sequels) "Planet of the Apes" occurs in a future where our astronauts find that intelligent apes have taken over the world and the primitive animals are the human beings.

The long-running television series and its remake "Battlestar Galactica" include a band of a war against the highly evolved cylon robots, while they search to find the long lost colony of Earth.

In many tales, writers have left the Earth as destroyed or abandoned. The television series "Firefly" and the book and film adaptation "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" are two such stories. "Titan A.E.," the animated feature shows Earth's destruction by a species of aliens, however, a well-placed planet builder then recreates the planet and all of the species that live on it.

Earth has remained as a base for other space exploration stories, including the iconic "Star Trek" series. Originally created by Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek uses Earth as a leading member of The Federation of Planets, and the many spaceships that head out to explore galaxies and beyond.
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/earth/overview/
https://www.livescience.com/19102-amazing-facts-earth.html report this ad

Planets

report this ad

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Earth Facts for Kids - Interesting Facts about Planet Earth

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Each time you look up to the sky and see a star you are looking at a sun in another galaxy. If you were on another planet looking back at our solar system, you would see our sun as a star. It's believed that every sun has planets orbiting it.