Earth: Quick Facts

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The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Nov. 12, 2026

News •

A wobbly exoplanet vanished—but astronomers aren’t worried • Nov. 11, 2026, 4:01 PM ET (Popular Science)

On this day in space! Nov. 10, 2013: Europe's GOCE satellite, the 'Ferrari of space,' fell out of orbit after mapping Earth's gravity field • Nov. 10, 2026, 4:51 PM ET (Space)

NASA's twin ESCAPADE Mars probes slingshot around Earth in unprecedented double 'gravity assist' • Nov. 10, 2026, 6:00 AM ET (Space)

An Earth Microbe Can Grow in Simulated Mars Conditions • Nov. 9, 2026, 3:20 PM ET (Gizmodo)

An ancient ocean full of giant predators reveals a surprising twist in evolution • Nov. 8, 2026, 5:46 PM ET (Science Daily)

Photos and Videos

Earth and the Moon

Diagram of the surface hydrologic cycle showing water movement between oceans, atmosphere, land, lakes, rivers, ice, and groundwater, with arrows indicating evaporation, precipitation, vapor transport, and runoff. Volumes and fluxes are labeled in millions of cubic kilometers.

A cross-sectional graph displays the percentage of Earth's surface covered by different land and water features, with highlands and lowlands above sea level, and continental shelf, ocean floor, ocean basins, and trenches below sea level. Percentages show 17% highlands, 12% lowlands, 15% continental shelf, 8% transitional area, 57% ocean basins, and 1% trenches.

World map showing the principal tectonic plates that make up Earth's lithosphere, with plate boundaries outlined in red and major plates labeled, including the Pacific, North American, South American, African, Eurasian, Indo-Australian, Antarctic, Nazca, Cocos, and Caribbean plates. Triangles mark notable geological features such as volcanoes along plate boundaries.

Cross-sectional diagram illustrating plate tectonics, showing oceanic and continental crust moving over the asthenosphere. It highlights divergent boundaries at oceanic ridges where crust forms, convergent boundaries at trenches with subduction zones where crust is destroyed, and a transform boundary with a fault. Features such as island arcs, rising magma, and hotspots are labeled.

Examine the observable universe's place within the whole universe

Illustration showing Earth on the left and the Sun on the right with blue arrows forming a circle around the word "WHY?" in the center, representing Earth's rotation and revolution.

Know the ten interesting facts that prove the earth is round

A large tree with leaves turning orange in fall.

Watch Earth's Continents Move

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Topics

Mars Venus Jupiter Mercury Saturn Neptune Uranus

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Cross section of Earth showing the core, mantle, and crust

Everything Earth

The orbits of the planets and other elements of the solar system, including asteroids, Kuiper belt, Oort cloud, comet

Space Odyssey

1 July 2002: The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite reveals a massive solar eruption more than 30 times the Earth's diameter. The eruption formed when a loop of a magnetic field over the surface of the Sun trapped hot gas.

Brightest Star in the Solar System

View of the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31, M31).

Astronomy and Space Quiz

View of the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31, M31).

Astronomy and Space Quiz

This artist's concept illustrates Kepler-16b, the first planet known to definitively orbit two stars -- what's called a circumbinary planet. The planet, which can be seen in the foreground, was discovered by NASA's Kepler mission. The two orbiting stars r

Extrasolar Planets

Saturn. Saturn and its rings. Second largest planet of the solar system. Space Art

Planets and the Earth’s Moon

View of the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31, M31).

Astronomy and Space Quiz

27 True-or-False Questions from Britannica’s Most Difficult Science Quizzes

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Cross section of Earth showing the core, mantle, and crust

The Solid Earth Quiz