Earth's atmosphere differs from the atmospheres of most other rocky planets and moons in our solar system in that it is rich in nitrogen gas, or N2; Earth's atmosphere is 78 percent nitrogen gas. (sciencedaily.com)
Astronomers believe that rocks just like Vesta were the raw material that coalesced to form Earth and the other rocky planets 4.5 billion years ago. (discovermagazine.com)
Early on, it went through the same kind of history that Earth and the other rocky planets went through, says Zellner. (discovermagazine.com)