Earth is unlike any other planet we know as it’s the only one capable of supporting life. We’ve learned a lot about our home: it’s rich in water, billions of years old, and is the third planet from the Sun. Yet even with all that knowledge, our planet still holds many surprises. So, here are six facts about Earth you probably didn’t know… (Picture: Getty Images)
1. Early Earth may have once been purple
Research suggests that life on early Earth may have been just as purple as it is green today. Ancient microbes may have used a light-harvesting molecule other than chlorophyll, which reflected violet light, giving them a purple appearance. Later, another light-sensitive molecule called retinal, still found today in the plum-colored membranes of photosynthetic microbes, absorbed green light and reflected red and violet light, which also appears purple to our eyes. Eventually, chlorophyll evolved, allowing organisms to capture sunlight more efficiently, which is why most plants today are green. (Picture: Getty Images)
2. Earth produces lightning five times hotter than the surface of the Sun
During a storm, colliding particles of rain, ice, or snow inside storm clouds increase the imbalance between storm clouds and the ground, and often negatively charge the lower reaches of storm clouds. Then objects on the ground, like steeples, trees, and Earth itself, become positively charged – creating an imbalance that leads to nature passing current between the two charges. These flashes are extremely hot, and can heat the air around it to 27,760 Celsius or 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which is five times hotter than the sun’s surface. (Picture: David McNew/Getty Images)
3. We don’t know who named the Earth
Although the Greeks and Romans named most of the planets in the Solar System after particular Gods, we don’t know who named the Earth. Its name, according to the official gazetteer of planetary discovery, comes from the Indo-European base ‘er’, which produced the Germanic noun ‘ertho’, the modern German ‘erde’, Dutch ‘aarde’, Danish and Swedish ‘jord’, and English ‘earth’. (Picture: CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
4. Earth is squishy inside
Earth’s interior is not solid, but rather has a semi-solid or ‘squishy’ consistency owing to high temperatures and pressures. This squishy consistency allows the mantle to flow and move over geological timescales, which is responsible for phenomena such as plate tectonics, volcanic activity and earthquakes. (Picture: Getty)
5. Europe is the second smallest continent in size but the third largest in population
Despite being the second smallest continent in size (after Australia), Europe is home to a population of over 746 million people, making it the third largest continent in terms of population (after Asia and Africa). It has one of the highest levels of urbanisation in the world, with over 75% of its population living in urban areas. The world’s population is expected to reach 9.7 billion in 2050. (Picture: Getty)
6. Some of Earth’s rocks can appear to ‘walk’
At the pancake-flat lakebed called Racetrack Playa in Death Valley National Park, California, a perfect storm can move rocks that sometimes weighs tens or hundreds of pounds. Most likely, ice-encrusted rocks get inundated by meltwater from the hills above. When everything’s nice and slick, a stiff breeze kicks up and moves the rock. (Picture: Agustin PAULLIER / AFP)Add as preferred source
