The Earth is the only natural astronomical body known to sustain and support life, hence being a living planet. About 29.2 percent of the Earth’s surface is water consisting of oceans and continental shelves. Another 7.6 percent is land including all continents and islands together with bodies of water such as lakes, rivers and oceans. This earth also has the most complex system of filtration, circulation and weathering in the entire solar system.
It was believed by some scientists that the earth would have been a very different place without any visible signs of continents or even ocean floors thousands of years ago. Only now with the help of specialized equipment and research instruments like the geoid and magnetospheric observatories are scientists able to detect evidence of the presence of these ocean floor layers. These ocean layers may mark the beginning of the earth’s history or may have formed the earth’s surface. Scientists have theories on the formation of the earth based on the kind of surface it has. Some theories suggest that the earth was a spinning ball until collision with the moon and giant impacts by meteorites took place.
Evidence of the planet earth’s crust and interior structure can be found on its satellite images as well as on space exploration missions that have been launched. Its surface is thought to have undergone many impacts by space comets and meteorites. One theory about the formation of the earth says that the planet was able to maintain its spinning axis due to its large gravitational pull of the sun and Jupiter resulting to an elliptical orbit.
Astronomers have identified three distinct layers of the earth’s surface according to their study. Among these is the Very Deep Layer, which is the least dense and the warmest and the second layer is the Ice layer which are the coldest and the thinnest. The composition of this earth also suggests that it is a habitable planet as it contains significantly more than carbon dioxide of water. Another theory suggests that this earth is a exoatmically hospitable planet where water can exist in liquid state. It also contains significant amounts of silicon and magnesium.
Based from evidence given by NASA, the earth system consists of five main parts. These are the inner core, which is composed of solid iron like substance, the outermost atmosphere which is very humid and ammonia rich, the radiation belts which are covered with rock from various geological sources and the thermal belts which flow through the planet carrying heat away from the equator. All these parts of the earth system are believed to have been created by the solar wind which streams through the planet at speeds of more than 7 km/s. This process generates clouds, which sometimes become so thick they can block the sun’s rays from reaching the earth and as a result the planet is under partial solar envelopment.
If you want to read more about the formation of the earth or the present condition of the earth, then you can visit online websites that provide you with the details on such topics. The information provided on these websites will help you know about the formation of the earth, how the earth cooled down, the presence of animals on the earth, about the present weather conditions on earth, how the continents were formed and much more. Apart from this there are other interesting websites that offer you with pictures and facts that you will surely find interesting. You can also visit the NASA website to download high resolution pictures of earth. The pictures show the earth from various angles and thus provide you with the best possible comparison with the other side of the sun.