Mars Facts

The fourth planet from the Sun, Mars is also commonly referred to as the red planet. It is interesting to note that in Roman mythology, Mars was the god of war. "Her Descher" meaning the red one, was what the ancient Egyptians called the planet.

Before space exploration began, Mars was said to be the best candidate for sheltering extraterrestrial life. Astronomers were of the belief that they could see straight lines criss crossing the surface. This was believed to be irrigation canals which had been constructed by human beings. The fact that Mars had seasonal color changes, was another reason for scientists to speculate that the conditions on Mars in the warmer months was good enough to support vegetation.

Interesting Facts about Planet Mars

• Mars is situated at a distance of 227,940,000 km away from the sun.
• 1 Mars day is equal to 24.6 Earth Hours.
• 1 Mars year is equivalent to 686.98 Earth Days.
• Mars is recognized by its red and dusty landscape.
• Phobos and Deimos, are two small satellites that Mars has.
• The seventh largest planet in the Solar System is Mars.
• Mars is made up of iron, covered by rock and then a thin layer of atmosphere.
• Carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and argon along with traces of oxygen constitute the atmosphere on Mars.
• Polar ice caps, made up of solid carbon dioxide are found on Mars. These transform with the changing seasons.
• The temperature in Mars fluctuates from a maximum of 0 ° C ( 32° F) to a minimum of -100° C (-148° F).
• The ground on Mars is complex and different. It has deep canyons, mountains, volcanoes and craters. The largest mountain in the Solar System, Olympus Mons, stands on Mars. It stands at an altitude of 24 km (78,000 feet) with a base that is 600 km across.
• A system of canyons, Valles Marineris stretch out over the surface of Mars. It is spread over nearly 2,500 miles (4000 km). These canyons can get up to 200 km wide and 6 km deep too in some areas.
• Once upon a time, there were large amounts of water on Mars. It is said that river systems and even lakes and oceans existed some 4 billion years ago. This has led scientists to believe that Mars may have supported life some billion of years ago.
• In 1965, Mariner 4, visited Mars. It transmitted 22 pictures of life of the Martian surface back to Earth. The pictures unveiled the truth-there were no signs of water or life on Earth.