Terrestrial
Physical Data
Terrestrial
Physical Data
| Average Distance from the Sun | 1.496 x 108 km = 1 AU |
| Aphelion | 1.521 x 108 km |
| Perihelion | 1.471 x 108 km |
| Orbital Velocity (ave.) | 29.8 km/s |
| Sidereal Period | 365.256 days |
| Rotation Period | 23.93 hours |
| Tilt of Rotation Axis | 23.5 degrees |
| Equatorial Diameter | 12,756 km |
| Mass | 5.976 x 1024 kg |
| Density (ave.) | 5520 kg/m3 |
| Escape Velocity | 11.2 km/s |
| Surface Temperature (ave.) | 20o C = 70oF = 293K |
-Definition: Astronomical Unit (AU) - the average
distance between the Earth and the Sun.
-Definition: Perihelion - the minimum distance
from the Sun.
-Definition: Aphelion - the maximum distance
from the Sun.
-Definition: Sidereal Period - the actual time
it takes for Earth to orbit the Sun, with respect to the background stars
and not the position of the Sun.
Reference: Kaufmann, William J. Universe. Fourth Edition. W. H. Freeman and Company, New York. 1994.