Planet Mars Facts: Interesting Facts about Mars

Mars, the red dot that looms in the evening sky, is one of the most sought after planets in NASA's exploration program beyond Earth. Mars has always appealed to the imagination of earthlings. Let's take a look at some of the interesting facts about Mars.

Before we go into the real facts about planet Mars, let us explore its position in ancient mythology and legend. Mars is etched into our mythology as the harbinger of war and calamity. Our ancestors connected the happenings on Earth with the patterns they saw in the sky and Mars was somehow singled out as the symbol of war and later God of war in Greek myth as well as in other mythologies world over. This may be due to its red color, which is normally associated with danger!

With the invention of the telescope, people observed the red planet up close for the first time. This triggered even more interest as the new facts about Mars changed its status from just a red dot to a planet with the possibility of life on it!

Now, at the beginning of the third millennium, man has sent space probes which have landed on the surface of Mars and sent back real pictures of the red planet. Scientific research and exploration is carried out today with the ultimate goal of colonizing the planet Mars! Let us see some planet Mars facts that are newly discovered through a recent space exploration.

Interesting Facts about Planet Mars

Mars is an entirely new world out there, that is waiting to be explored. Here are some of the astounding and not so surprising planet Mars facts that you should know!

Mars is Red Due to Rust!
The secret behind the reddish orange coloring of Mars is rust! The Martian surface is colored that way due to the prevalence of ferric oxide on its surface, which is commonly known as rust.

Highest Mountain in the Solar System is on Mars!
One of the most interesting facts about Mars is that Olympus Mons, a shield volcano on Martian surface, is the highest of all observed mountains, in the terrestrial worlds of our Solar system. It stands at a record height of 26 km from base to top. That makes it roughly, three times as high as Mount Everest.

Mars has the Largest Canyon in the Solar System!
Valles Marineris, a canyon that extends along the Martian equator, like a scar, is the largest canyon, yet observed in our solar system. It extends roughly, 4,000 km in length, which makes it almost as long as Europe. It is as wide as 200 km and at its deepest, plunges to a depth of roughly 7 km. So, if you think the Grand Canyon is the last word on canyons, think again.

Mars Has Water!
One of the most important facts about Mars revealed through its recent exploration is that water does exist on Mars, in the form of ice, under its polar ice caps. There is evidence that water once flowed freely on the surface of Mars, but now its low atmospheric pressure ensures that no water can flow or stay on its surface. Water exists in the polar and mid-latitude regions under the surface of the planet in the form of ice. Still, the existence of life on Mars is a matter of debate and mystery, which awaits observational evidence.

Mars is a Puny Planet Compared to Earth
The radius of Mars is approximately half that of our planet Earth. It is also comparatively less dense. The whole volume of Mars is roughly 15% that of the Earth, while its mass is 11% that of Earth. So, Martian gravity is substantially weaker, compared to gravity on Earth. Its crust is, however, thicker than of Earth. So, Mars is really small compared to Earth.

Mars has Two Moons!
Mars has two moons, Phobos (Greek word for 'Fear') and Deimos (Greek word for 'Terror')! These Mars moons are probably captured asteroids, both of which are irregular moons of small size.

Mars has no Magnetosphere!
One of the little known facts about Mars is that it has no magnetic field, due to which its ultra-thin blanket of atmosphere, is vulnerable to destruction due to solar winds.

These Martian facts have been presented after thorough research of some of the recent findings by Mars Pathfinder Mission, etc. sent to Mars. There is much more to be known about Mars. Earlier space exploration programs like Mars Ariel Platform Mission (MAP) have explored Mars and made it possible to send Mars exploration rovers to search for water activity on the planet. If these interesting facts about Mars, inspire one of you to take it up as a research subject, I will consider my job to be well done! Read more: What is Mars made up of.