Our Moon has been an important part of our culture, literature and mythology since time began. The Moon is about one-fourth the size of Earth, with a diameter of a little over 2,000 miles. Earth is the only planet in the solar system that has solar eclipses, which happen when the Moon hides the Sun. Click Earth is the only planet that does not have a name from either Greek or Roman mythology. Earth is put together makes our home planet very unusual.
Earth has a core, or center, that is solid and made up mostly of iron.
The large amount of iron in our planet is what creates the magnetic field that makes compasses work. On top of the solid core is a very thick layer of molten, or almost liquid, rock. On top of the mantle is the layer where we live. The solid layer that makes up the continents and the oceans is actually very thin, averaging less than thirty miles thick. The weather on Earth varies a great deal, from very cold at either the north or south poles, and keeps getting warmer until you get to the equator, or center, of our planet.