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Random Facts


Earth facts


what is the world's oldest animal

The oldest animal on Earth was born in 1830 Her name is Harriet, she's a Galapagos land tortoise

Reference: http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/news/archive.asp?archive=111805

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The longest coldest night on earth

The darkest time of year at the North Pole is the Winter Solstice, approximately December 21. There has been no sunlight or even twilight since early October. The darkness lasts until the beginning of dawn in early March Now you can see what's happening in the arctic at http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/gallery_np.html

Reference: http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/gallery_np.html

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A fact about life on earth

Half of all living things live on 6% of the land on the planet, the rain forest. No word on how much this fact changes everyday, but it's safe to say it's an estimate.

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Creepy crawly fact about planet Earth

The world's termites outweigh the world's humans 10 to 1.

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What is the highest point on earth?

The highest mountain in the world is not Mt. Everest. The Earth is not perfectly round, it is like when you roll a piece of silly putty in a ball and squish the top a little bit. Therefore, the equator is popped out. Seeing as how the Himalayas are some ways away from the equator, although Mt. Everest is highest above sea level, the highest point on Earth is somewhere in the Andes in South America

Reference: Discovery Channel

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Perhaps the least hospitable place on earth

There is a an island of plastic and trash floating in the Pacific ocean that is twice the size of Texas.

Reference: http://www.bestlifeonline.com/cms/publish/health-fitness/Our_oceans_are_turning_into_plastic_are_we_2_printer.shtml

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What is the altitude of the sun relative to Earth ?

The altitude of the sun varies throughout the year. On December 21st (sometimes the 22nd) the sun is 20 degrees above the horizon, it's lowest point of the year. On June 21st (sometimes the 20th) the sun is 65 degrees above the horizon, it's highest point of the year. Do you know what days these are? They are the winter & summer solstice.

Reference: Winter Sun Design

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How are rainbows made?

Rainbows are a result of the sun's white light being broken up into it's component colors through the prism of a raindrop. This division of white light into its component colors is called Dispersion. The light is often double-reflected on either side of the raindrop before exiting and headed your way. The color of a light wave see depends on the frequency of the light wave entering your eyes.

This explains why we see the colors of a rainbow, but how come all the colors line up next to each other? Since different frequency light waves bounce and reflect differently meaning that the different colors line up coming at a slightly different angle from each other. (note: the frequency of a wave is the number of cycles of a wave to pass some point in one second. )

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What is up with the sun?

The sun is 93,000,000 miles from earth. It takes the suns rays 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach the earth, traveling at a rate of 186,282 miles per second.

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What are the most abundant chemicals in the universe and earth?

Hydrogen is the most abundant chemical in the universe and oxygen is the most abundant chemical element in the earths crust, water and atmosphere.

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How fast does rain fall?

A raindrop falls at 600ft. per minute or 7 mph. A raindrop is round but appears to be oval because gravitation pulls on the front of the raindrop as it is falling.

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What is the most rainfall ever recorded?

The greatest amount of rainfall ever recorded fell in the amount of 1.5 inches per minute on November 26, 1970 in Barst, Guadeloupe located in the West Indies.

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Which takes up more space, water or ice?

Most substances take up less space when frozen than when liquid. Ice from water on the other hand occupies more space than the original liquid water did.

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How deep is the ocean?

The deepest area in the ocean is 35,800ft. or 6.78 miles deep. It is located at the Mariana Trench in the Pacific ocean. The average depth of the oceans is 12,500 feet.

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Time telling

There are 3 basic ways of telling time. a) rotational : rotation of the earth b) dynamic: motion of the moon and planets c) atomic: oscillation within atoms.

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How long is a year?

The exact length of time for the earth to rotate around the sun is 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 46 seconds

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A day when heavenly bodies align

On July 1, 2015 Earth, Venus and Jupiter will be ordered on a single line.

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Fun facts about venus

Venus is the second closest planet to the sun between Earth and Mercury. Venus is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty.

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Fun fact about the arctic and Antarctic

The Antarctic (South) is a continent surrounded by ocean while the Arctic (North) is an ocean surrounded by continents.

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Who is the world's largest producer of coconuts?

The Philippines is considered to be the largest producer of coconuts in the world

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How many species of insects are there?

There are over a million species of insects. Insects outnumber all other animals at a rate of 4 to 1.

Reference: http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/ythfacts/bugfun/trivia.htm

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Is Antarctica completely frozen?

Antarctica is the 5th largest continent and approximately 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice which averages 1 mile in thickness. Predictions on when global warming will lead to ice-less polar regions ranges from 2012-2050. Scientists agree it's not a matter of if, but when.

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What are some of the job duties performed by beavers?

Beavers reliably maintain wetlands that can sponge up floodwaters, prevent erosion and act as the "earth's kidneys" by purifying water. Beavers also build several dams where each colony slows the flow of floodwaters.

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What animal gets its name from the Galapagos Island?

The Galapagos tortoise was named after the Galapagos islands. Some adult Galapagos tortoises can measure up to 4ft. long and weigh up to 660lbs. Their average lifespan is 150-200 years.

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