The Earth is one of nine planets that make up the Solar System.
Our planet, called Earth, is a rock ball traveling about 67,000 miles an hour through space. Earth is moving around a star, called the Sun. The pulling power, or gravity, of the Sun keeps the Earth on an elliptical (oval-shaped) course. The time it takes the Earth to make one complete orbit of the Sun is called a year.
Age of the Earth: 4.5 billion years old
Diameter at the Equator: 7,926 miles / 12,755.66 km across
Diameter at the Poles: 7,900 miles / 12,713.82 km across
Circumference at the Equator: 23,627 miles / 38,023.97 km around
Weight (mass) of the Earth: 6.6 sextillion tons
Average surface temperature: 59˚F / 15 °C
Rotational speed at the Equator: 995 mph / 1,601.29 kmh
The Earth is a ball spinning on an axis, so places at the Equator spin much faster than at the North and South Poles.