Earth
Physical Properties
Earth’s diameter is 12,756.3 km and its mass is 5.972e24 kg. Earth has 7 layers: Outer Crust, Upper Mantle, Transition Region, Lower Mantle, D’’ Layer, Outer Core, and Inner Core. The core is mostly made up of iron or nickel/iron. The temperature at the core may be 7500 times hotter than the surface of the sun! Earth is the densest major body in the Solar System. Earth’s circumference at the equator is 24,901.55 miles (40,075.16 km). The hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth was recorded in El Azizia when it reached 136 degrees Fahrenheit on September 13, 1922. The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was on July 21, 1983 and it reached -128.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Experts from the USGS (The United States Geological Survey) claim that 1,000 tons of space debris rain down on Earth every year. 90% of volcanic activity happens in the ocean. Earth is the fifth largest planet in our solar system and third from the sun. The tallest mountain on earth is Mount Everest or Mauna Kea. The longest mountain chain in the world is the Ocean Ridge (Mid-Ocean Ridge).
Rotation
Earth's rotation on its axis is 23 hrs and 56 minutes and 4.09053 seconds. But it takes an additional 4 minutes for the Earth to revolve to the same position as the day before relative to the sun. (i.e. 24 hrs). It takes 365.2425 days for the Earth to revolve around the Sun. Earth is 1 au (149,600,000 km) away from the sun.
How the Moon Affects Us
The moon has a gravitational pull just like Earth does. The moon's gravitational pull causes the oceans to bulge away from the Earth. The oceans facing the moon bulge towards the moon but the oceans facing away from the moon bulge opposite the moon. Causing the oceans to have tides!
Citations
http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/solar-system/earth/
http://nineplanets.org/earth.html
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_does_the_Moon_affect_the_Earth
http://home.hiwaay.net/~krcool/Astro/moon/moontides/
http://ask.yahoo.com/20050712.html
http://www.enotes.com/science/q-and-a/what-highest-lowest-recordea-temperatures-earth-289086
http://listverse.com/2007/11/20/top-10-amazing-earth-facts/
http://nineplanets.org/earth.html
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_does_the_Moon_affect_the_Earth
http://home.hiwaay.net/~krcool/Astro/moon/moontides/
http://ask.yahoo.com/20050712.html
http://www.enotes.com/science/q-and-a/what-highest-lowest-recordea-temperatures-earth-289086
http://listverse.com/2007/11/20/top-10-amazing-earth-facts/