HANDOUT:
Our Earth is the only place in the universe that can support life. It is a modest- sized planet that orbits an
average-sized star, the sun. Life on Earth is abundant. Some type of life is found in every niche on the Earth.
Even in the extremely cold Antarctica, hardy microscopic beings exist in ponds, tiny wingless insects live in
patches of moss and lichen, and even two types of plants flower yearly. From the top of the atmosphere to the
bottom of the oceans, from the coldest part of the poles to the warmest part of the equator, life persists here.
SIX THINGS THAT MAKE LIFE ON EARTH POSSIBLE
1. Our location is far from many hazards.
Source: https://www.tes.com/lessons/SXYSDvJyxyn2sw/unit-3-lesson-1-the-solar- system
The solar system sits far from the galactic core (almost 30,000 light-years), between two major spiral
arms.
Solar system's circular orbit helps it avoid that dangerous part of the galaxy. The galactic core likely
contains a massive black hole and releases consistent bursts of radiation.
There are relatively few stars near the sun, reducing risks to Earth from gravitational tugs, gamma-ray
bursts, or collapsing stars called supernova.
The presence of Jupiter, farther out in the solar system blocking Earth from much of the incoming
debris, has also helped Earth become a safe haven for life. It acts like a giant broom, sweeping the
solar system of debris rocks as small as cars and as huge as moons that could snuff out life in one fatal
blow.
2. Our sun is a stable and long-lasting star.
Source: https://moviewriternyu.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/sun- earth.jpeg
Sun is a yellow dwarf, a relatively rare type of star that is both small and stable. It also has a long life
and probably would not start to fizzle out for another five billion years or so. Stars more massive than
the sun burn hotter and usually do not live long enough for planets to develop life. Less massive,
younger stars are often unstable and are prone to blasting their planets with bursts of radiation.
The sun radiates light and heat, or solar energy, which makes it possible for life to exist on Earth. The
sun provides the earth with energy estimated at over 239 trillion horsepower, about 35,000
horsepower for each current resident. Without heat from the sun, Earth would freeze. There would be
no winds, ocean currents, or clouds to transport water.
3. We are at just the right distance from the sun.
Earth is at an average distance of 93 million miles or 150 million kilometers away from the sun. It orbits
in the so-called Goldilocks zone, where the planet receives enough energy to allow water to exist as a
liquid on its surface. Too far, and the vital compound stays locked up as ice. Too close, and the water
would rapidly evaporate into the atmosphere.
The Earth is the only planet with huge bodies of water—70% of its surface area consists of oceans,
lakes, and seas surrounding huge bodies of land.
4. We have the right stuff to host a dynamic core.
Source: https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Inside-Erth.png
The interstellar cloud of gas and dust that gave rise to Earth contained enough radioactive elements
(potassium, uranium and thorium) to power a churning core for billions of years. This creates a
magnetic field which is crucial to life on our planet because it protects the planet from dangers like solar
flares and solar wind.
The Earth's magnetic field serves to deflect most of the solar wind, whose charged particles would
otherwise strip away the ozone layer that protects the Earth and the life on it from harmful ultraviolet
radiation.
Source: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ningchao_Wang/publication/326622449/figur
e/fig6/AS:652496099880969@1532578601529/Solar-wind-magnetic-field- interacts-the-Earths-magnetic-field-
Credit-NASA.png
It also keeps the planet’s atmosphere in place and helps humans and animals to find their way around.
5. We have a big moon to stabilize our axial wobble.
Source: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eKz0qI07ES8/maxresdefault.jpg
The Earth has a slight tilt and teeters like a top as it spins, which can cause drastic shifts in climate over
the course of thousands of years. But because of the moon's stabilizing effect on our orbit, our
climate is a lot steadier.
The moon causes the tides, so if the Moon were much nearer to the Earth, say 20 times closer, it would
exert a gravitational force 400 times greater than what we are used to. It would result to huge tides
which would overflow onto the lowlands, causing great flooding.
6. We have an ozone layer to block harmful ray.
Source: https://travelandleisureindia.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ozone- layer-heals-1.jpg
Ancient plantlike organisms in the oceans added oxygen to the atmosphere and created a high-altitude
layer of ozone that shielded early land species from lethal radiation.
Ozone (O3) is a gas in the atmosphere that protects everything living on the Earth from harmful
ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. Without the layer of ozone in the atmosphere, it would be very
difficult for anything to survive on the surface. Plants cannot live and grow in heavy ultraviolet radiation,
nor can the plankton that serve as food for most of the ocean life. The ozone layer acts as a shield to
absorb the UV rays, and keep them from doing damage at the Earth's surface.
The mixture of gases found in the atmosphere, without man's pollution, is perfect for life. Nitrogen
accounts for 78% of the atmosphere, oxygen 21% and argon 0.9%. Greenhouse gases like carbon
dioxide, nitrous oxides, and methane are trace gases that account for about a tenth of one percent of
the atmosphere. These gases trap the sun’s heat to keep the planet warm. If it were much different, life
would cease to exist on Earth. If our atmosphere were thinner, many of the millions of meteors which
now are burned up would reach the Earth's surface, causing death, destruction and fires everywhere.
