What makes this world interesting
Rotation explains the alternation of day and night; the tilt of the axis explains the seasons. Its orbit around the Sun sets the rhythm of the year.
The portal / Solar System / Earth
Planet
Earth
Terrestrial planet · Our starting point
A rocky planet where oceans of liquid water, an atmosphere and life transform the surface.
- Equatorial diameter
- 12 756 km
- Mean orbital distance
- 149,6 million km
- Orbital period around the Sun
- 365,2 days
Observe or explore it
Observe shadows and how they change throughout the day. Connect your local horizon, the cardinal directions and solar times with the portal’s dashboard.
Connect the discoveries
Sources and reference information
NASA Science — Earth · NASA/NSSDCA — planetary data
Rounded educational data, sources consulted on 18 October 2026. Orbital distances are mean reference distances from the Sun, not current distances from Earth. Periods are expressed in Earth time. The planner provides date-specific positions for supported targets.
Understand its motion. Explore a simplified orbit in the laboratory →
From the planet to its territories. Explore Earth with the globe and retro atlas →