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Earth orbits the Sun, making Earth the third-closest planet to the Sun and part of the inner Solar System. Earth's average orbital distance is about 150 million km (93 million mi), which is the basis for the astronomical unit (AU) and is equal to roughly 8.3 light minutes or 380 times Earth's distance to the Moon.
The natural history of Earth concerns the development of planet Earth from its formation to the present day. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] Nearly all branches of natural science have contributed to understanding of the main events of Earth's past, characterized by constant geological change and biological evolution .
[nb 1] Earth's orbital speed averages 29.78 km/s (19 mi/s; 107,208 km/h; 66,616 mph), which is fast enough to cover the planet's diameter in 7 minutes and the distance to the Moon in 4 hours. [3] The point towards which the Earth in its solar orbit is directed at any given instant is known as the "apex of the Earth's way". [4] [5]
Earth's atmosphere contains 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, which is the result of the presence of life. [103] [104] The planet has a complex climate and weather system, with conditions differing drastically between climate regions. [105] The solid surface of Earth is dominated by green vegetation, deserts and white ice sheets.
Knowledge of the location of Earth has been shaped by 400 years of telescopic observations, and has expanded radically since the start of the 20th century. Initially, Earth was believed to be the center of the Universe, which consisted only of those planets visible with the naked eye and an outlying sphere of fixed stars. [1]
The distance separating the planet and its star is just 7% of the distance between Earth and the Sun, and the planet receives 1.6 times more energy from its star than Earth does from the Sun.
An incoming space rock could collide with our planet in 2032 ... it can also provide at least a general range of what the impact point on the planet would be. With roughly 70% of Earth’s surface ...
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the planet Earth: . Earth – third planet from the Sun, the densest planet in the Solar System, the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets, and the only astronomical object known to harbor life.