Earth is our home planet. It is not named after a god but is an old German word that means dirt.
Everything about Earth is just right for the presence of life as we know it. It is at just the right distance from the Sun for water to remain liquid, rather than freeze or evaporate, and all life as we know it depends on water. Earth also has oxygen, another necessity for life as we know it.
Earth’s atmosphere is made up of nitrogen and oxygen. It protects life from dangerous ultraviolet radiation from the Sun, and keeps the temperature from getting too hot or too cold.
However, pollution and the misuse of resources have caused Earth’s temperature to rise over the past several decades. That has created the phenomenon known as global warming. If it continues, the delicate balance that allows life on Earth may be threatened.
