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Articles
Our Habitable Earth
In the context of Jehovah revealing His uniqueness and supremacy to the Persian king, Cyrus, God claimed that He created the earth and “formed it to be inhabited” (Isaiah 45:18). As we learn more about our Earth and other planets, the more we observe that life is peculiar to Earth. To men traveling in the parched darkness of space, the Earth’s bluish-green hue appears as an oasis for life.
The Earth tilts 23.3 degrees. If it were a 90 degree angle, much of the Earth’s surface would become a dry desert. The poles would become vast continents of massive snow and ice. This added weight would force the equator to bulge, and change drastically the Earth’s rotation.
As is, the Earth rotates at the right speed - about 1,000 miles per hour. If it turned much slower, life would eventually die due to too much heat during the long days, and extreme cold during the extended nights.
The Earth also orbits around the sun at the right speed. It takes the Earth 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 45.51 seconds to make one round trip. If the speed were much faster, then centrifugal force would pull the Earth away from the sun, causing very cold temperatures. If the Earth traveled much slower, then we would drift too close to the sun causing Earth’s temperatures to be extremely hot.
The sun’s surface temperature is 12,000 degrees. If we were closer to the sun, like the next planet, Venus, we would be roasting in an average temperature of 1,006 degrees. The Earth, being some 93 million miles away from the sun, enjoys an average temperature of 59 degrees.
One factor helping to keep temperatures constant for Earth is the enormous bodies of water upon the Earth. Some 70 percent of the globe’s surface is covered by water. These vast pools absorb the heat during the day and release it during the night, keeping the Earth’s surface habitable at all times.
The Earth tilts, rotates and orbits at the right angle and speed. It possesses vast temperature stabilizers. These all combine to make the Earth a place to dwell. God says that He designed and created it for that purpose.
