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5 Fun Facts About Earth

5 Fun Facts About Earth


Today, I'll be giving you some fun facts about or planet Earth!

So, without further ado, let's get started!


1. Earth is not a perfect sphere


Even though our planet is a sphere, it is not a perfect sphere. Because of the force caused when Earth rotates, the North and South Poles are slightly flat. Earth's rotation, wobbly motion, and other forces are making the planet change shape very slowly, but it is still round.


2. It does not take Earth 24 hours to complete 1 rotation around its axis


It takes 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds for the Earth to rotate once completely on its axis, which astronomers refer to as a Sidereal Day.


3. 1 year is not exactly 365 days


It’s 365.2564 days. It’s these extra .2564 days that creates the need for a Leap Year once every four years. That’s why we tack on an extra day in February every four years – 2004, 2008, 2012, etc. The exception to this rule is that if the year in question is divisible by 100 (1900, 2100, etc), unless it is divisible by 400 (1600, 2000, etc).


4. People once believed that Earth was in the center of the Solar System


For 2000 years ancient astronomers believed that the Earth was static and had other celestial bodies traveling in circular orbits around it. They believed this because of the apparent movement of the Sun and planets about their viewpoint. In 1543, Copernicus published his Sun-centered model of the Solar System which put the Sun at the center of our solar system.


5. Earth is the only planet in the Solar System that was not named after a god.


The other seven planets in the solar system were named after Roman gods or goddesses. For the five visible to the naked eye, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn were named during ancient times. This Roman method was also used after the discovery of Uranus and Neptune. The word “Earth” comes from the Old English word “ertha” meaning ground or land.


This comes to the end of this post, I hope you gained new information when you read this.

If you want to share other facts about Earth then please do by commenting on this post.

Until then, stay healthy and safe!


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