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Explanation: There, that faint dot in the center - that's the largest rock known. It is larger than every known asteroid, moon, and comet nucleus. It is larger than any other rocky planet. (Nobody knows for sure what size rocks lie at the cores of Jovian planets, or orbit other stars.) The Voyager 1 spacecraft took this picture in 1990 from the outer Solar System. This rock is so large its gravity makes it nearly spherical, and holds heavy gases near its surface. Yesterday, this rock started another orbit around its parent star, for roughly the 5 billionth time, spinning over 350 times during each trip. Happy Gregorian Calendar New Year to all the human inhabitants of this rock we call Earth.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Earth - Solar System
Publications with words: Earth - Solar System
See also:
- APOD: 2025 September 14 Á Planets of the Solar System: Tilts and Spins
- APOD: 2025 September 7 Á All the Water on Planet Earth
- APOD: 2025 June 15 Á Two Worlds One Sun
- APOD: 2025 March 31 Á Parker: The Solar System from Near the Sun
- APOD: 2024 December 29 Á Methane Bubbles Frozen in Lake Baikal
- Interplanetary Earth
- Earthset from Orion