What are the differences between the Earth sun and moon?

Earth, Sun, and Moon: Getting to Know Our Cosmic Neighbors

We live in a fascinating neighborhood, cosmically speaking. The Earth, Sun, and Moon – these three are the big players in our little corner of the universe, influencing everything from the rhythm of the tides to the changing of the seasons. You might think you know them well, but let’s take a closer look at what really makes each of them tick.

The Sun: More Than Just a Big Ball of Light

Our Sun, that giant ball of fire in the sky, is so much more than just a light source. Officially, it’s a G-type main-sequence star, but you can think of it as the engine that drives our entire solar system. Seriously, it’s a behemoth! It holds a staggering 99.86% of the solar system’s total mass, meaning its gravity is what keeps all the planets, asteroids, and even those icy comets in line.

• Size and Stuff: Imagine trying to fit Earths inside the Sun. You could cram over a million of them in there! The Sun’s radius is about 695,700 kilometers – that’s 109 times bigger than Earth. As for what it’s made of? Mostly hydrogen (around 73%) and helium (around 25%), with just a sprinkle of other elements like oxygen, carbon, and iron.
• Power Source: The Sun is basically a giant nuclear reactor. Deep inside its core, hydrogen atoms are constantly smashing together to form helium, releasing insane amounts of energy in the process. We’re talking temperatures of 15 million degrees Celsius in the core and a balmy 5,500 degrees Celsius on the surface.
• Spin Cycle: Here’s a fun fact: the Sun doesn’t spin like a solid ball. It’s more like a swirling vortex, rotating faster at its equator (about 25 Earth days) than at its poles (around 36 Earth days).
• Location, Location, Location: Our Sun lives in the Milky Way galaxy, about 25,000 light-years from the center. And it’s not just sitting still; it’s zooming around the Galactic Center at a speed of 720,000 km/h! One full orbit takes about 230 million years. Talk about a long commute!

Earth: Our Wonderful, Wet, and Wild Home

Ah, Earth, the third rock from the Sun and the only place we know of that’s teeming with life. It’s a dynamic planet, constantly changing, with a surface that’s a mix of towering mountains, deep valleys, and vast plains.

• Size and Shape: Earth is the biggest of the rocky inner planets, with an average diameter of 12,742 kilometers. And while we often picture it as a perfect sphere, it’s actually a bit squished. The rotation causes it to bulge at the equator, making it more of an ellipsoid shape.
• Breathable Air: We owe a lot to our atmosphere, a cozy blanket of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and a dash of other gases. It not only gives us the air we breathe but also shields us from harmful radiation from space.
• Water World: Did you know that water covers about 70.8% of Earth’s surface? That’s a whole lot of ocean! The remaining 29.2% is land, where we build our homes and grow our food.
• Orbiting and Spinning: Earth takes about 365.25 days to make one trip around the Sun, which is why we have leap years every now and then. And it spins on its axis in just under 24 hours, giving us our day-night cycle. Plus, the Earth’s axis is tilted, which is why we experience seasons.
• Our Moon: Earth has a trusty companion, the Moon, orbiting us at an average distance of 384,400 km. The Moon’s gravity helps keep Earth stable and is responsible for the ocean tides.

The Moon: More Than Just a Pretty Face

Our Moon, Earth’s only natural satellite, is a constant presence in our night sky. It’s a rocky world covered in craters, with only a super-thin atmosphere, barely there.

• Size and Makeup: The Moon is much smaller than Earth, with a diameter of 3,476 kilometers, about a quarter of Earth’s size. It’s made up of a crust, mantle, and a small core.
• Locked in Orbit: The Moon takes about 27.3 days to orbit Earth, and here’s the cool part: it’s tidally locked, meaning the same side always faces us. We never see the “dark side” of the Moon from Earth!
• Harsh Conditions: Without an atmosphere, the Moon experiences extreme temperature swings. It’s also constantly bombarded by cosmic rays, meteorites, and solar winds. Not exactly a vacation destination!
• How It Formed: Scientists believe the Moon formed a long, long time ago when a Mars-sized object crashed into Earth. The debris from that collision eventually coalesced to form the Moon.

The Big Picture

FeatureSunEarthMoonWhat is it?StarPlanetSatelliteSizeHuge!Just right (for us)SmallAtmosphereFiery and gassyBreathable (thank goodness!)Almost nothingSurfaceAll gas, no solid groundLand and waterRocky and full of cratersEnergyMakes its own light and heatGets light and heat from the SunReflects sunlightLifeNopeYes!NadaGravitySuper strongJust rightWeakSpinSpins differently at different placesOne day longOne month long (sort of)Made of…Hydrogen and heliumRocks, water, air, and lots of other stuffRocks and metal