Astronomy · Planets

Earth

The third planet — and the only known home of life.

ScienceBeginner

Our home world

Earth is the third planet from the Sun and, so far, the only place in the universe known to support life. Liquid water, a breathable atmosphere, and a moderate climate set it apart from its neighbors.

A protected, active planet

Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere shield the surface from much of the Sun's harmful radiation. Plate tectonics, oceans, and a living biosphere continually reshape the planet.

Earth and its Moon

Earth has one large natural satellite, the Moon, which stabilizes the planet's tilt and drives the tides. Studying Earth from space has transformed how we understand our place in the Solar System.

Knowledge connections

How this connects across Asteria Star — scientific, cultural, and astrological links are kept separate.

Scientific connections

Part ofSolar System
Parent ofThe Moon
Associated withChicxulub impact
Associated withTunguska event
Associated withChelyabinsk meteor
Associated withPeekskill Fireball
Associated withBering Sea Fireball
Associated withBarringer Crater (Meteor Crater)
Associated withVredefort Structure
Associated withSudbury Basin
Associated withNördlinger Ries
Associated withCNEOS 2014-01-08
Associated withMagnetosphere
Associated withCore
Associated withMantle
Associated withCrust
Associated withPlanetary Differentiation
Associated withPlate Tectonics
Associated withVolcanism
Associated withClimate Evolution
Associated withThe Greenhouse Effect
Associated withMagnetospheric Shielding
Associated withThe Hill Sphere
Associated withTidal Evolution

+5 more

Discovery connections

Depicted inEarthrise
Depicted inThe Blue Marble
Depicted inPale Blue Dot

Related toSaturn — The Day the Earth Smiled
Affected bySolar Wind
Affected bySolar Flare
Affected byCoronal Mass Ejection (CME)
Affected byGeomagnetic Storm
Affected byAurora
Affected bySolar Energetic Particles (SEP)
Affected byVan Allen Radiation Belts
Affected byOrbital Debris
Affected byMicrometeoroids
Affected bySpacecraft Charging
Affected byAtomic Oxygen

Gallery

Verified imagery of Earth will appear here.

Prepared for official NASA / ESA integration. We publish only openly licensed and public-domain media, with full credit, license, and source for every image.

Our sources & licensing policy →

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Fast facts

Order from Sun: Third planet
Type: Terrestrial (rocky) planet
Moons: One (the Moon)
Distinction: Only known world with life

Key points

The only planet known to host life.
Has stable liquid water at the surface and a protective atmosphere.
Accompanied by a single large natural satellite, the Moon.

Data & provenance

Stable ID: planet:earth
Type: Planet
Domain: Scientific connections
Relationships: 44
Graph version: 1.0.0

Dataset membership

Planets

Open data

In the graph export: graph.json · graph.jsonld

Planned API: GET /api/v0/entities/planet:earth

Scientific quality

63% complete

Reviewed2 sourcesv1.0.0

Completeness: Complete
Source coverage: Complete
Citation coverage: Complete
Relationship coverage: Complete
Review coverage: Complete
Image coverage: None
Timeline coverage: None
Localization coverage: None

Scientific entity. See the evidence framework and authority dashboard.

Provenance & sources

review 2026.1

Asteria Scientific Review Process · verification: sourced · accurate

High evidenceconfirmed
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only body known to host life; about 71% of its surface is covered by liquid water.
Source: NASA (NSSDCA) — NASA Planetary Fact Sheet · Public domain (US Government work)
- NASA Planetary Fact Sheet, Planetary Fact Sheet

Reviewed by the internal Asteria Scientific Review Process — not an external institutional review. See the evidence framework and authority dashboard.

Scientific citations

Real, source-backed references — primary papers first, then datasets and institutional sources. Formatted through the citation engine; nothing is fabricated.

DatasetEarth Fact Sheet

NASA Goddard — NSSDCA

Cite (APA / BibTeX)

NASA Goddard — NSSDCA (n.d.). Earth Fact Sheet. NASA Goddard — NSSDCA. https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/earthfact.html

@misc{cite:factsheet-planet-earth,
  title        = {Earth Fact Sheet},
  organization = {NASA Goddard — NSSDCA},
  year         = {n.d.},
  url          = {https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/earthfact.html},
  note         = {Physical and orbital parameters for Earth.}
}

Institutional pageEarth — NASA Solar System Exploration

NASA

Cite (APA / BibTeX)

NASA (n.d.). Earth — NASA Solar System Exploration. NASA. https://science.nasa.gov/

@misc{cite:nasa-planet-earth,
  title        = {Earth — NASA Solar System Exploration},
  organization = {NASA},
  year         = {n.d.},
  url          = {https://science.nasa.gov/},
  note         = {NASA overview of Earth.}
}

Sources & references

Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.

NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.
ESAEuropean Space Agency
European missions, observatories, and space science imagery.

Loading…

NASA Goddard — NSSDCA (n.d.). Earth Fact Sheet. NASA Goddard — NSSDCA. https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/earthfact.html @misc{cite:factsheet-planet-earth, title = {Earth Fact Sheet}, organization = {NASA Goddard — NSSDCA}, year = {n.d.}, url = {https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/earthfact.html}, note = {Physical and orbital parameters for Earth.} }

NASA (n.d.). Earth — NASA Solar System Exploration. NASA. https://science.nasa.gov/ @misc{cite:nasa-planet-earth, title = {Earth — NASA Solar System Exploration}, organization = {NASA}, year = {n.d.}, url = {https://science.nasa.gov/}, note = {NASA overview of Earth.} }

Sources & references

Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.

NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration

Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.

Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.

ESAEuropean Space Agency

European missions, observatories, and space science imagery.

Earth

Our home world

A protected, active planet

Earth and its Moon

Knowledge connections

Scientific connections

Discovery connections

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Earth

Our home world

A protected, active planet

Earth and its Moon

Knowledge connections

Scientific connections

Discovery connections

Related

Gallery

Venus

Mars

Mercury

Jupiter

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Earth

Our home world

A protected, active planet

Earth and its Moon

Knowledge connections

Scientific connections

Discovery connections

Related

Gallery

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Venus

Mars

Mercury

Jupiter

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Earth

Our home world

A protected, active planet

Earth and its Moon

Knowledge connections

Scientific connections

Discovery connections

Related

Gallery

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Venus

Mars

Mercury

Jupiter

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