The Earth

Abstract

Owing to the existence of intelligent life on Earth, our planet is by far the most interesting of the nine planets in the solar system. Moving around the sun in an almost circular orbit that lies between those of Venus and Mars, Earth receives just the right amount of energy from the sun every second to produce the optimum conditions for life on its surface. In itself, the proper distance of Earth from the sun is not sufficient to produce intelligent life; its size, mass, and chemistry, the tilt of its axis of rotation with respect to the plane in which it moves, the rate at which it spins, the area of dry land compared to the area covered by oceans, and other minor characteristics have helped or hindered to a greater or lesser extent the emergence of life and the evolution of intelligent life on this planet.

Sooner let earth, air, sea, to chaos fall,

Men, monkeys, lap-dogs, parrots, perish all!

—ALEXANDER POPE, The Rape of the Lock