Table of Contents

Introduction...1

Our Home in the Solar System...2

KT Event...3

Earth vs. Mars...4

Conclusion...5

Glossary...6

About the Author...7

1

 Imagine looking up at the night sky and not seeing any stars. Space is a beautiful sight, but it is something that is so big it is hard to imagine in our minds. There is still a lot that we do not even know about space because it is so big!

 From your backyard you can see other stars in space, and you can see some things that are in our own solar system. The Earth is part of a group called the Milky Way. The Milky Way is made up of the Sun, eight planets, and many more objects. In this book you are going to learn more about one of these planets, the Earth.

Introduction

Our Home in the

Solar System

    What’s big and round and blue all over? Our home, the planet Earth. All planets in outer space are unique and interesting, but they’re lacking something extra special: life.

    Earth is the only planet in our solar system that has plants, animals, and living things because the temperature is not too hot and not too cold. Earth’s atmosphere is made of a gas called oxygen that living things need in order to breathe. The large amount of water on Earth also allows it to support life. As you can see, without the right temperature, oxygen, and water it would be difficult for life to survive on earth.

KT Event

Over the course of history, Earth has been hit by countless items flying through space. Every now and then, one of these crashes is a big one, such as an asteroid, comet, or large meteorite. About sixty-five million years ago, the largest crash ever recorded struck Earth.    

One of the biggest events in history happened during what paleontologists call the K-T Event. Scientists believe the K-T extinctions were caused by a massive asteroid that was nearly six miles wide. The impact of the asteroid caused nearly 70% of all plants, animals, and living species on Earth to disappear. The most famous group of animals to become extinct was the dinosaurs. If the KT Event had never happened, dinosaurs may still be roaming our Earth today.

3