astronomylabMeet the Moon
Terrestrial planet / World 03

Earth

The only home we have ever known.

Liquid water, a protective atmosphere, and a living surface make Earth a remarkable place. Its tilted axis gives us seasons as we travel around the Sun.

Explore this orbit ↗
Earth, NASA and mission partners

Image: NASA / Apollo 17 crew. Processed mission imagery; apparent color varies with filters and processing.

Equatorial diameter12,756 km
One orbit1.00 years
Distance from Sun1.00 AU
Solar day24 hours

Earth compared with Earth

Its equatorial diameter is 1.00 times Earth’s. Its mass is 1.00 times Earth’s, while its orbital period is 1.00 Earth years.

The reference gravity is about 9.8 m/s². These rounded values include the reference conventions used in NASA’s fact sheet; the ideal spherical gravity calculator can differ slightly.

NASA reference data ↗

Keep wondering

A few good questions

How far is Earth from the Sun?

Earth has a mean orbital distance of about 149.6 million kilometers, or 1.00 AU. Its actual distance varies through its elliptical orbit.

How long is a year on Earth?

An orbit takes approximately 365.2 Earth days. The orbit simulator lets you see how distance affects the length of a year.