When compared to the other planets, Earth is extremely remarkable. Besides the fact that it is the only planet known to contain life, it is also the only planet to have water making up a majority of its surface. Of the four rocky planets, Earth is the largest with a diameter of 12,756km. It also seems to be the only planet with plate tectonics, which means that its crust is broken into moveable plates. Earth is the most dense planet in the solar system with a density of 5,515kg/m3.
The Earth is surrounded by a magnetic field created by liquid iron in the outer core of the Earth. This magnetosphere deflects the solar winds generated by the sun. Although this helps protect the life on Earth from intense solar activity, it also creates the Van Allen belts where the magnetosphere meets the solar winds. The Van Allen belts have two layers, the inner one contains high-energy protons and electrons, while the outer one contains low-energy electrons. When particles escape from the Van Allen belts and meet the ionosphere, an aurora is created.
The Earth is tilted from the ecliptic about 23.5 degrees. This tilt is what causes the seasons on Earth. When the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the sun, it experiences summer, while the Southern Hemisphere experiences winter. It is opposite when the Southern Hemisphere is tilted towards the sun.
The Earth has one natural satellite which we call the moon and over 2,700 artificial satellites. These satellites have many uses ranging from GPS tracking to communications to military.
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