Key facts
- Mean diameter
- 12,742 km
- Mass
- 5.97 × 10^24 kg (1 Earths)
- Surface gravity
- 9.8 m/s² (0.999 g)
- Escape velocity
- 11.2 km/s
- Mean temperature
- 15 °C
- Rotation period
- 23.9 hours
- Orbital period
- 365.2 days
- Mean distance from the Sun
- 149.6 million km
- Sunlight travel time
- 8 min 19.0 s
- Axial tilt
- 23.4°
- Confirmed moons
- 1
Atmosphere
78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, about 1% argon, plus water vapour and carbon dioxide.
Composition and structure
Rocky planet with an iron–nickel core, silicate mantle and a thin crust.
Discovery and exploration
Observed from orbit since Sputnik 1 (1957). Continuous Earth observation by fleets such as Landsat (since 1972) and Copernicus Sentinels. The ISS has been continuously crewed since November 2000.
Major moons
- Moon — Earth's only natural satellite and the only other world humans have walked on.