Explore Earth
![](/images/icons/earth_interior.jpg)
Earth, the largest and densest rocky planet, was formed about 4.5 billion years ago. The Earth's ...
Read more
![](/images/icons/earth_atmosphere.jpg)
The atmosphere is a mixture of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), and other gases (1%) that surrounds ...
Read more
![](/images/icons/earth_magnetosphere.jpg)
The Earth has a magnetic field with north and south poles. The magnetic field of the Earth ...
Read more
![](/images/icons/earth_moon.gif)
The Earth's one natural satellite, the Moon, is more than one quarter the size of Earth itself ...
Read more
![](/images/icons/earth_polar.jpg)
Do you wonder what Earth's Polar Regions are like? Where do polar bears live? Where do penguins ...
Read more
![](/images/icons/earth_climate.jpg)
Warm near the equator and cold at the poles, our planet is able to support a variety of living ...
Read more
![](/images/icons/earth_water.jpg)
Water is found in many places on Earth including on the surface of the planet, within rocks ...
Read more
![](/images/icons/earth_life.jpg)
What is life? Why is there life on Earth, but not on any other planets in the solar system ...
Read more
![](/images/icons/wildfire_wns.jpg)
The United Nations estimated that between 1994-2015, there were 6,873 natural disasters worldwide, ...
Read more
Did you know?
Did you know that a significant
portion of
sea
level rise is due to the expansion of sea water due to increasing
temperature?
Do you know the difference between weather and climate?
Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day
Do you know what this word or phrase means?
Orographic liftxOrographic lift : Occurs when an air mass is forced to rise over geographic relief from a lower elevation. As the air mass rises it expands and cools adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100%, create clouds and precipitation.
Click on the word to find out!
Research Highlights
A new analysis of the unusually long solar cycle that ended in 2008 suggests that one reason for the long cycle could be a stretching of the sun's conveyor belt, a current of plasma that circulates between...
Read more![](/olpa/images/solar_cycle_small.jpg)