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Birthday · October 26, 1997

Welcome to Planet Earth

October 26, 1997

The constellations may be old, but the person celebrating beneath them is gloriously new by cosmic standards.

Welcome to Planet Earth

A little universe, just for you

Your date.
Ready to give.

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APOD published October 26, 1997. Full image credits are on the original APOD entry below. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.

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Welcome to Planet Earth

Original APOD · October 26, 1997

Welcome to Planet Earth, the third planet from a star named the Sun. The Earth is shaped like a sphere and composed mostly of rock. Over 70 percent of the Earth's surface is water. The planet has a relatively thin atmosphere composed mostly of nitrogen and oxygen. Earth has a single large Moon which is about 1/4 of its diameter and, from the planet's surface, is seen to have almost exactly the same angular size as the Sun. With its abundance of liquid water, Earth supports a large variety of life forms, including potentially intelligent species such as dolphins and humans. Please enjoy your stay on Planet Earth.

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