Chapter 2: The Earth
Section 1: Planet Earth
Our Solar System
The Solar System is a group of stars and planets that revolve around the sun. The only reason that all the stars and planets don't float away from each other is because of the sun's gravitational pull. Each of the nine planets in our solar system have a gravitational pull. Earth is the only known planet to be able to support life. There are things in our solar system that are even smaller than the sun and planets, there are asteroids, comets, and meteoroids. Asteroids are small earth like rocks that that are stuck in an orbit called the asteroid belt. Meteoroids are chunks of rock and iron that float all around the solar system. Comets are made up of ice, dust, and gases, comets like meteoroids also float around the solar system.
Getting to Know Earth
-the earth is really a rounded object wider around the center then from top to bottom
-earth has a larger diameter at the equator-about 7930 miles (12,760)-then from pole to pole ,but difference is less then 1 percent
-with a circumference of about 24,900
-oceans, lake, rivers, and other bodies of water make up a part of the earth called the hydrosphere
-land makes up part of the earth called the lithosphere,the earth's crust
-the air we breath is a part of earth's atmosphere, a layer of gases extending about 6,000 miles above the planets surface, in the atmosphere
-the part of the earth that supports life is biosphere
-the parts of a continent that extends underwater is called a continental shelf
-the highest point on earth is in south Asia at the top of mount everest, which is 29,035 feet