Mars, located four planets from the Sun and with two moons, has a reddish hue similar to our Earth. Polar ice caps and geological features suggest it once supported life on this red-hued world.
Astronomers studying Mars during the 17th and 18th centuries saw evidence of civilization on Mars, including canals that appeared to carry water – all illusions.
It is the fourth planet from the sun
Mars, commonly referred to as The Red Planet, has long fascinated scientists and humans alike. As our fourth planet from our Sun, Mars offers scientists and individuals alike an intriguing place. Boasting deserts, polar ice caps and valleys; along with a thin atmosphere making life on its surface difficult.
Galileo Galilei became the first to observe Mars through a telescope, back in 1610; since then astronomers have studied it intensively.
Mars, commonly referred to as the Red Planet due to its surface being covered in reddish iron oxide dust particles, stands out in our night sky like no other object.
Surface of Earth’s surface is composed of various minerals that give it many unique colors, due to what each mineral absorbs from sunlight. If sand-like minerals are present, for instance, brown and tan colors may dominate while rock-like minerals will yield reddish or yellow tones.
Mars has two small moons that orbit it – Phobos and Deimos are named for Greek and Roman war gods and may have once been asteroids that got captured by Mars’ gravitational pull.
Polar ice caps on Mars consist of both water and carbon dioxide ice, and play an essential role in its climate and weather patterns. Mars rotates once every 24.6 hours – an Earth day is equal to 669.6 Sols in length on this distant planet. Since human beings don’t yet inhabit Mars, its exploration through robotic missions could potentially open it up for human presence someday.
It is a rocky planet
Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, is a rocky planet distinguished by a reddish hue due to iron oxide present in its soil. Though smaller and less dense than Earth, Mars once had thicker atmosphere and liquid water seas. Today it only has an extremely thin atmosphere consisting mostly of carbon dioxide with trace amounts of nitrogen and argon; additionally its surface features dusty boulders.
Mars’ two small moons, Phobos and Deimos, are named for Greek and Roman gods of fate and fear respectively. While its exact formation remains unknown, experts speculate it was likely caused by an enormous impact in the past. Furthermore, Mars boasts two polar ice caps which remain permanently frozen as its thin atmosphere does not trap much heat, meaning liquid water cannot exist on its surface.
Over the centuries, people have attempted to discover evidence of life on Mars through flawed interpretations of geological features. No one had access to visit Mars directly until recently; however, satellites and orbiters have provided invaluable data that sheds light onto its landscape as well as providing knowledge of its interior.
Scientists have recently determined that Mars contains a solid crust 6-30 miles (10-50 km), an extensive rocky mantle stretching 770-1,170 miles (1,241-2,100 km) in width, and a hot metallic core which may even surpass that of Earth. Scientists used seismic vibration recording capabilities of Insight Lander to map Mars’ interior structure using imager technology; their images reveal this inner structure in greater detail according to Live Science reports.
It has two moons
Phobos and Deimos, Mars’ two moons, are small and irregularly-shaped like asteroids; their composition suggests they were captured by Mars rather than formed in an asteroid belt. Furthermore, their close orbits suggest they may be tidally locked to Mars; this could cause their tides to stir up debris that collects on their surfaces, potentially creating smaller moonlets similar to what happened with Jupiter’s satellites.
Phobos is 27 miles across (55 kilometers). It resembles an elongated potato shape and orbits close to Mars completing one orbit every seven hours and 39 minutes, whereas Deimos takes 30 hours. Both moons have been closely observed by spacecraft as well as from Earth where Earth’s moon is much larger and reflective compared with those on other planets.
Mars boasts several natural characteristics that distinguish it as one of the planets in our Solar System. Notable examples are Olympus Mons, an enormous volcano rivaling Mount Everest; Valles Marineris – an immense canyon created by tectonic activity; and numerous volcanic landforms from steep-sided cones to vast plains covered with hardened lava flows.
Mars is famed for its polar ice caps. During winter at each pole, constant darkness causes temperatures to decrease significantly and 25-30% of Mars’ atmosphere to condense into CO2 ice slabs, eventually melting away after intense winds transport dust and water vapor towards lower elevations – as well as carrying water-ice clouds, as observed by Opportunity rover.
It is very cold
Scientists have performed extensive analysis on Mars and have concluded that, although its polar caps and subsurface still contain large quantities of ice, no liquid water remains to support life on this planet. Furthermore, Mars is extremely cold due to having an atmosphere considerably thinner than our own that does not hold enough heat for life to exist on it.
Mars’ atmosphere consists largely of carbon dioxide with some nitrogen and argon present; its atmospheric pressure is roughly one-tenth that of Earth, even lower than balloons at similar heights; as such, an orbiting spacecraft will experience colder conditions than astronauts in space suits on Mars’ surface.
Mars’ low temperature is due to both its distance from the Sun and thin atmosphere. On average, surface temperatures average out around minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit but can drop as far as -220 F near poles during winter or reach 70 F during midday hours near its equator during summer months.
Mars’ surface is covered in volcanic rock that can both warm and cool rapidly, producing temperatures ranging from hot to freezing temperatures. While red in color is typical, depending on which minerals are present it could also feature butterscotch hues or yellow hues depending on how hot or cold it gets.
People often dream of living on Mars and its robot rovers have made significant discoveries about it, such as evidence that once wet conditions supported life. Yet despite being full of mysteries and mysteries about its past, present, and possible future inhabitants; Mars remains too cold a planet for human habitation.
It has a thin atmosphere
Mars boasts an atmosphere that has less than one-tenth the pressure of Earth and is predominantly composed of carbon dioxide with small fractions of nitrogen, argon, and oxygen – meaning little heat is trapped and no greenhouse effect results from it. Furthermore, because there is no ozone layer to filter ultraviolet radiation reaching Mars from various astronomical sources like the Sun directly reaches the surface without being blocked by atmospheric gases.
The Red Planet’s CO2-ice polar caps shift with each season. Each winter, up to one-third of its atmosphere condenses into visible polar caps visible from space; during spring this ice sublimates back into its atmosphere causing seasonal climate fluctuations; dust storms also contribute to atmospheric variability as does absorption of CO2 by regolith surfaces.
Mars has two vastly dissimilar hemispheres, suggesting that it was subjected to some kind of major impact shortly after formation. While its northern plains are relatively flat, while its south boasts volcanic features. While some scientists speculate this difference could be caused by different patterns of magma flow or by an impact with another object the size of our Moon, others think otherwise.
Mars may currently be too cold for large amounts of liquid water to exist on its surface, but in its past there was more moisture than now – its current atmosphere could be the leftovers of that period. Even with its low-pressure atmosphere and thick core and magnetosphere to shield it from cosmic rays that penetrate its crust and cause chemical reactions within rocks and minerals that create unique hues across its surface.