KID’S PAGE

By Trish Penny

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    SOURCE:  Science Smart

that fast, too.  Scientist have learned that our solar system is just one of more than 100,000 other solar systems in our galaxy.  And, there at least 10,000 million other galaxies in the universe.

 

When you look at it that way, Earth seems awfully tiny.  Even compared to the four largest planets in our solar system, Earth is small.  Our planet’s surface covers nearly 197 million square miles.  The Earth at the equator is 24,902 miles around, and 24,859 miles around the poles.  If you walked every day and every night without stopping to rest, it would take you more than a year to walk all the way around the globe!

 

Scientists think that our planet is about 4.6 billion years old.  To help you get a better idea of how long ago 4.6 billion years is, imagine that Earth is ten years old instead of 4.6 billion.

 

Ten years ago our newborn planet was just beginning to form an outer crust.  It was mostly a big, molten ball of dust and gas left over when a much , much larger ball of dust and gas collapsed on itself and formed the hot, shining star we call the Sun.  Back in those days there were a few other  leftover balls circling the Sun, too.  Some were smaller than baby Earth, some larger.  Some were closer to the Sun and some farther away.  Today we call those planets.  Together they make up our Solar System.

 

You wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere near Earth during those first couple of toddler years.  There were no seas or land.  You couldn’t breath the air.  Virtually everything was hot and molten.  Meteorites and asteroids and comets kept crashing into the red-hot planet.

Eventually, about eight years ago, things cooled

down.  Rocks began to form, creating a thicker crust.  Water from steam collected on the Earth’s surface, forming shallow seas.  And the first signs of life—bacteria—appeared.

 

A little more than a billion years later—about five of our imaginary years ago – blue green algae family  were the most advanced forms of life on earth. 

 

It wasn’t until last year that the first plants on land showed up.  During this time, nine foot long sea scorpions roamed the oceans.

 

About eight months ago, lush swamps of mosses and extremely tall ferns (the height of trees) covered the land.  Today, their fossils make up most of the world’s coal beds.

 

Six months ago, the first dinosaurs appeared.  A month and a half ago, they became extinct.

 

A day and a half ago, big brained hairy creatures who could actually walk on two legs instead of four showed up.  Some scientists believe these creatures may have been our earliest ancestors.

 

The first true humans, or animals who looked more or less like us, started tromping around in East Africa and Asia about two hours ago.

 

Eleven minutes ago the last Ice Age, when glaciers covered most of the Northern Hemisphere, finally ended.

 

Thomas Jefferson signed the Declaration of Independence 15 seconds ago. 

 

Two seconds ago, Neil Armstrong took his first step on the moon. 

 

How long have you been around?

 

Wink your eye once, fast. If you actually are ten years old, that’s how long you’ve lived compared to the long, long life of Planet Earth.

SCIENTIST’S VERSION OF HOW OLD OUR EARTH IS

Our Earth is really an amazing place. It is a rocky, spinning ball that’s whizzing through space at almost 45,000 miles an hour.  The eight other planets in our solar system are traveling