Earth

Table of Contents

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

Examine the observable universe's place within the whole universe

Planets of Our Solar System

Earth's rotation and revolution around the Sun explained

Earth and the Moon

Know the ten interesting facts that prove the earth is round

What causes the seasons?

surface hydrologic cycle

For Students

Read Next

Solar system illustration. (planets; sun)

Why Are Planets Round?

Paleogeography and paleoceanography of Early Triassic time. The present-day coastlines and tectonic boundaries of the configured continents are shown at the lower right. Continents, continental drift, plate tectonics, Pangea, Laurussia, Gondwana.

Spotting a Supercontinent: How Pangea Was Discovered

A quarter moon is visible in this oblique view of Earth's horizon and airglow, recorded with a digital still camera on the final mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia.

How Much Does Earth’s Atmosphere Weigh?

Solar system illustration. (Sun; planets)

A Model of the Cosmos

Remarkable new details of Pluto's largest moon Charon are revealed in this image from New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), taken late on July 13, 2015 from a distance of 289,000 miles

Why Is Pluto No Longer a Planet?

Discover

Odissi Indian classical female dancer on white background. (Indian dancer; classical dancer; Indian dance)

6 Classical Dances of India

In this aerial photo, structures are damaged and destroyed October 15, 2005 in Balakot, Pakistan. It is estimated that 90% of the city of Balakot was leveled by the earthquake. The death toll in the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on October 8, 2005 is believed to be 38,000 with at least 1,300 more dead in Indian Kashmir. SEE CONTENT NOTES.

6 of the World’s Deadliest Natural Disasters

Young man skeet shooting with airborne shell

6 Unusual Olympic Sports

earthquake. Heavily damaged school in the town of Yingxiu after a major earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008.

The 6 Deadliest Earthquakes Since 1950

Fish. Lionfish. Lion-fish. Turkey fish. Fire-fish. Red lionfish. Pterois volitans. Venomous fin spines. Coral reefs. Underwater. Ocean. Red lionfish swims by seaweed.

10 of the World’s Most Dangerous Fish

Chapter 4 pg 42 - Chapter header of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Published in 1884 by The American Publishing Company

Periods of American Literature

January 21, 2019: Superbowl LIII will be played at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, February 3, 2019 against the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams.

What Was the Super Bowl’s First Blockbuster Commercial?

Earth: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

Could an asteroid really hit Earth? Odds of asteroid 2024 YR4 reach highest levels ever • Feb. 21, 2025, 5:30 AM ET (USA Today)

Odds of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth drop from record high, NASA says of 'city killer' • Feb. 21, 2025, 4:56 AM ET (USA Today)

NASA massively lowers impact risk of 'city-killer' asteroid 2024 YR4 to 1 in 360 • Feb. 20, 2025, 7:16 AM ET (Space.com)

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket debris creates dramatic fireball over Europe, crashes in Poland (video) • Feb. 20, 2025, 5:09 AM ET (Space.com)

Earth Today | Rural women benefit from gender, climate change training • Feb. 19, 2025, 5:38 PM ET (The Gleaner)

Photos and Videos

Earth and the Moon

surface hydrologic cycle

Earth: surface composition

Earth's principal tectonic plates

production and destruction of Earth's crust

Examine the observable universe's place within the whole universe

Earth's rotation and revolution around the Sun explained

Know the ten interesting facts that prove the earth is round

What causes the seasons?

Watch Earth's continents move, from 650 million years ago to 250 million years in the future

See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Topics

Mars Venus Jupiter Mercury Saturn Neptune Uranus

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Quiz

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

The Solid Earth Quiz

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

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

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

Space Odyssey

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

Astronomy and Space Quiz

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

Astronomy and Space Quiz

36 Questions from Britannica’s Most Popular Science Quizzes

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

Everything Earth

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

Astronomy and Space Quiz

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

Planets and the Earth’s Moon

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

List

Lead image for "A Timeline of the World in 8 Maps"

A Timeline of the World in 8 Maps

Demystified

Solar system illustration. (planets; sun)

Why Are Planets Round?

A quarter moon is visible in this oblique view of Earth's horizon and airglow, recorded with a digital still camera on the final mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia.

How Much Does Earth’s Atmosphere Weigh?

Remarkable new details of Pluto's largest moon Charon are revealed in this image from New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), taken late on July 13, 2015 from a distance of 289,000 miles

Why Is Pluto No Longer a Planet?