terrestrial planet
Earth
Our home planet – the only world known to host life, with liquid oceans, drifting tectonic plates and one large Moon.
- Distance from the Sun today
- 148.4 million km0.992 AU
- As of
- 4 November 2026position from NASA/JPL orbital elements
Where it is today
Top view of the plane of Earth’s orbit, compressed distance scale. Open on the big map with the time slider →
Facts
- Diameter
- 12,756 km
- Mass
- 5.97 × 10²⁴ kg
- Density
- 5,514 kg/m³
- Surface gravity
- 9.8 m/s²
- Escape velocity
- 11.2 km/s
- Rotation period
- 23.9 h
- Length of day
- 24.0 h
- Mean distance from the Sun
- 149.6 million km (1.000 AU)
- Perihelion
- 147.1 million km
- Aphelion
- 152.1 million km
- Orbital period
- 365.2 days (1.00 years)
- Mean orbital velocity
- 29.8 km/s
- Orbital eccentricity
- 0.017
- Orbital inclination
- 0.0°
- Axial tilt
- 23.4°
- Mean temperature
- 15 °C
- Surface pressure
- 1.0 bar
- Known moons
- 1
- Rings
- no
- Global magnetic field
- yes
Source of the figures: NASA Planetary Fact Sheet (public domain).
Description
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the largest of the four rocky ones. It is the only place known to have liquid water oceans on its surface and the only world where life has been confirmed. Its crust is broken into moving tectonic plates that build mountains, open oceans and recycle material between the surface and the interior. A molten iron outer core generates a magnetic field that, together with the nitrogen–oxygen atmosphere, shields the surface from much of the solar wind and harmful radiation. Earth is also the densest planet in the Solar System, and its unusually large Moon steadies the tilt of its axis and raises the ocean tides.