Dr. Hamid Mjool Al Nuaimi *
Compared to the trillions of planets of similar or different sizes and characteristics scattered throughout the universe in general, and the Milky Way Galaxy in particular, planet Earth is one of the smallest planets. Almighty God is enhanced by the bliss of various good deeds and the bliss of life that Almighty God has prepared for this creature and created creatures to live on its surface, “Say: Succeed on earth, so see how creation began ۚ Then God will see the ritual”

The planet was born, grew and formed in the various environments of its atmosphere, oceans and biosphere, and life began within this vast universe (sky and heavens) composed of nebulae, galaxies, stars, suns, planets. Apart from planetary satellites, gases, dust and smoke, matter and dark energy, its secrets are little known, and its estimated diameter of 90 billion light-years is too small (for Earth-dwellers). And our planet has billions and trillions of celestial bodies of different sizes, shapes, temperatures, densities, ages, and everything in it, that is, everything created by Almighty God. “Verily, We have adorned the lowest heavens with the adornment of the stars.” As-Safat 6.

And the space between galaxies and stars is filled with matter consisting of gas, dust and smoke, and dark matter and dark energy, smoke with gas and dust are available and spread in various celestial bodies, so we see. As God Almighty said in the Holy Book, “The beginning is with your love”, the heavens are also woven from these materials. In other words, the sky is interwoven with galaxies, stars, and the interspersed matter of gas, dust, and smoke.

The diameter of the Earth is approximately 12,756 km (i.e., larger in size and mass than the smaller rocky planets in the Solar System) and the closest celestial body to it is the Moon, which is 483,400 km away from it, and it orbits the Earth at a rate of 29.5 days, and the diameter of the Moon is about 3476 Knowing that km, i.e. a quarter of the Earth’s diameter, it is called a synodic month. It takes about 1.5 seconds to travel from the Moon to the Earth (the Moon’s mass is 1.2% of Earth’s mass, and its volume is 2% of Earth’s). The Earth orbits the Sun and is approximately 150 million km away from it, or the Moon is approximately 400 times farther from the Earth, and its angular diameter is approximately 400 times the angular diameter of the Moon. Therefore, we see that they have the same apparent angular size, and for this reason, when a total solar eclipse occurs, the apparent disk of the Moon sometimes completely covers the disk of the Sun.

“Have they not seen the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and the creation of God?” Al-Araf 185. We have talked a lot about the earth before, but here we will touch on some of its characteristics. For comparison with other planets and to show why Almighty God chose it from other planets for humans, animals and plants to live on its surface.

“And there are signs in the earth for those who are steadfast.” Al-Dariyat: 20. Earth is the third planet from the Sun and is the largest of the inner planets. Its diameter exceeds that of Venus by a few hundred kilometers. It is the only known planet in the universe that has life on it; Because it is located at the right distance from the Sun, it contains the water necessary for life to survive, and because it covers most of its surface, water is everywhere, even in human, animal, and plant bodies. “We created all living things from water.”

Earth has a good atmosphere, which includes clouds, wind, lightning and thunder, and some other weather phenomena. يقول الله سبحانه وتعالى عن الرعد والبرق في كتابه المبين: «هُوَ الَّذِي يُرِيكُمُ الْبَرْقَ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَيُنْشِئُ السَّحَابَ الثِّقَالَ، وَيُسَبِّحُ الرَّعْدُ بِحَمْدِهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ مِنْ خِيفَتِهِ وَيُرْسِلُ الصَّوَاعِقَ فَيُصِيبُ بِهَا مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَهُمْ يُجَادِلُونَ فِي اللَّهِ وَهُوَ شَدِيدُ الْمِحَالِ»، الرعد 12 و13.

Earth is distinguished among the rocky planets by having a magnetosphere that shields its atmosphere from deadly and incendiary electromagnetic radiation and particles from the solar wind.

Earth is currently very active geologically, unlike other planets, all these beneficial features for life on its surface were created by Almighty God without other planets, which is an important difference from other planets. and other celestial bodies in the Solar System and possibly the Milky Way and other galaxies and in the Universe. That is why we called it a planet. mother or home.

* Director of the University of Sharjah, Chairman of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences