Earth

earth.jpg

The Blue Marble by Possibly Harrison Schmitt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Earth seen from the Tellurian spaceship Apollo 17 en route to Moon.

Overview

Earth is the third planet from the star we know as Sol (and which the Tellurians call the Sun) within the Solar System. It is notable as the the cradle of Humanity, in all its forms.

Facts and Figures

Alternative and Previous Name(s)

Although, amongst its inhabitants, “Earth” is the planet’s most common appellation, it is (or has been) known by several other names, including:

• Gaia
• Terra
• Tellus
• The World

Satellites

The Earth has one natural satellite which the Tellurians call the Moon. In addition, there are many thousands of unnatural objects that the Tellurians have put into orbit themselves. It is a veritable junk yard out there.

History

Earth is believed to have been around for about 4.5 billion years. This means that it is at least twice as old as Calmarendi.

Government

Like Calmarendi, Earth has no overarching World Government. Instead, it has 200+ independent nation states constantly squabbling with one another. Unlike Calmarendi, however, these squabbles frequently degenerate into open warfare.

Included Locations

Nations of Earth

There are far too many nations on Earth to list exhaustively. Those of significance to our narrative include:

• Belgium
• The nations of the North Atlantic Archipelago
• England
• Wales
• Scotland
• Northern Ireland
• Japan
• Spain

See also: Classified Gazetteer Earth: Geopolitical

People

Population (1990)

5.3 billion

Demonym

Tellurian

Tellurian is not an adjective that the people of Earth would commonly use of themselves but it is a name that the Wanderers use in their tales for mythical peoples from far off worlds. Whether these tales are specifically referring to travellers from Earth is unclear but since the only people we know that have actually come to Calmarendi from any distant world have come from Earth, we shall call them Tellurian.

Location ID

029 (earth)

Type

Planet

Location under

Solar System

Included Locations

• Japan
• North Atlantic Archipelago

Physical Characteristics

Mass

5.972 x 10²⁴ kg

Radius

6,371.0 km (mean)
6,378.1 km (equatorial)
6,356.8 km (polar)

Surface Area

510,072,000 km² (total)
148,940,000 km² (land)

Mean Surface Gravity

9.807 m s⁻²

Axial Tilt

23.439°

Length of Day

24 h

Orbital Characteristics

Aphelion

152,100,000 km

Perihelion

147,095,000 km

Semi-major Axis

149,598,023 km

Orbital Eccentricity

0.017

Orbital Period

365.256 d

Natural Satellites

1 (Moon)