Earth is a planet — Astronomy, 4–6 years
Our home is one round world travelling through space. Astronomy, 4–6 years.
A world in space
The ground beneath our feet is part of a huge, round world called Earth. Earth travels through space, carrying people, animals, oceans and air with it. From the ground it looks flat, but from far away it looks like a ball.
Why call it a planet?
People needed a way to talk about the different worlds they saw in the sky and the one beneath them. The word planet means a world that travels around a star. Calling Earth a planet reminds us that our home is not the whole of space; it is one world among others.
Finding Earth in a model
Take a model of the Solar System and look at its coloured balls. First, find the ball with blue oceans and green-brown land: that is Earth. Next, count its place out from the Sun: Mercury is first, Venus second, and Earth is third. So Earth is the third planet from the Sun.
It looks flat
It is natural to think Earth is flat because the ground around us looks flat, and we cannot feel the curve. That small view is the reasonable mistake: Earth is so large that a short walk shows almost no bend. Photos from space and ships disappearing over the horizon give clues that Earth is round.
Maps and globes
Knowing Earth is round helps people make globes and read maps more carefully. A globe shows the world’s shape, while a flat map must spread that shape out and can stretch some places. Pilots, sailors and travellers use these tools to plan where they are going.
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