The Earth
Home, seen from outside: a blue and white world about four times wider than the Moon looks from here.
From the Moon's near side the Earth never rises or sets. The Moon keeps the same face towards us, so the Earth stays in almost the same place in the sky, drawing only a small loop over the month as the Moon wobbles.
It has phases, opposite to the Moon's: when we see a new Moon, the Moon sees a full Earth, bright enough to light the lunar night. You can watch it turn, with continents, clouds and the lights of cities on the night side.
From Mars the Earth is a bright blue evening or morning star that never strays far from the Sun, with the Moon a faint dot beside it.
Facts
- Size
- 12,742 km wide, 3.7 times the Moon
- Seen from the Moon
- about 2° wide, the width of your thumb at arm's length
- Full Earth
- about 45 times brighter than a full Moon seen from Earth
- One turn
- 23 h 56 min — watch Africa, then the Americas, come round
Did you know?
Understand it
Why does the Moon change shape?
We see different amounts of its sunlit half as it circles the Earth.
Why can I see the dark part of a crescent Moon?
Sunlight reflected off Earth lights up the Moon's night side — earthshine.
What is an eclipse?
When the Sun, Earth and Moon line up exactly, one casts a shadow on the other.