Watch: The Earth
Discover more about Planet Earth.
Narrator: 4 and a half billion years ago, clouds of cosmic dust and gas which were orbiting the Sun collided into one another, creating the Earth,
our planet, the home of mankind.
It spins at 1000 miles an hour, taking 24 hours to complete a full rotation.
Relentlessly travelling through space, it undertakes a full orbit of the Sun every year, giving the planet its seasons.
In fact, the definition of a planet is a celestial body which orbits around a star.
The moon, is only a quarter the size of the Earth.
Gravity holds it in an ongoing embrace, its orbit taking nearly 27 and a half days to complete.
What's this…?
Stella: The Earth is spinning around, its rotation causes night and day…
It’s daytime when it faces the Sun,
Night-time when it faces away.
The Earth is spinning around,
Its rotation causes night and day…
Now the moon doesn’t spin,
While it orbits the Earth
Gravity stops it drifting awwwwaaaaaay…
Earth facts
Planet Earth is about 4.5 billion years old.
One of the closest planets in our solar system to the Sun.
It takes Earth just one year to orbit the Sun.
As well as orbiting the Sun, the Earth rotates on it's This is an imaginary line that something rotates around. at 1000 miles an hour, completing one full rotation in 24 hours.
Day and night
When the Earth rotates on its axis, half the Earth is facing the Sun which means it is daytime. The other half facing away from the Sun is in darkness so it is night time.
Watch: Day and night
Learn more about the Earth's orbit of the Sun.
Activity 1: Tap and find
Activity 2: Quiz
Activity 3: Investigating time around the world
Can you create a scientific investigation to discover and compare the time of day at five different places on Earth?
You will need: a pen, some paper, a clock, the internet
You will need to think about:
- How will you make it a fair test?
- What could the variables be?
- How will you record your results?
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