Mars, one of the seven planets in our Solar System, boasts two moons: Phobos and Deimos. Furthermore, Olympus Mons is home to one of the highest mountains in our Solar System as well as Valles Marineris being one of the largest canyons on the planet.
Astrologically speaking, Mars represents aggression and confrontation and rules the signs Aries and Capricorn. Medically speaking, its jurisdiction extends over muscular and genital systems with its symbol being that of Roman god Mars himself – his shield and spear used for warfare.
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun
Mars, one of our closest planetary neighbors, is often known by its nickname – the Red Planet. Home to two moons named Phobos and Deimos, Mars has long fascinated people since recorded history; with orbiters searching its surface in search of any sign of life past or present. Indeed, people have held Mars in high regard since early civilization began exploring our universe.
Mars’ rocky surface is covered in dust, boulders and numerous craters that make it hard to see identifiable features on its surface. Over the centuries however, astronomers and observers have claimed they saw gigantic face-like structures and tiny humanoids on Mars; however these claims are often false or not supported by scientific evidence.
Observers can best view Mars when it is close to the Sun – known as opposition – every 26 months. At that time, Mars appears brightest and largest; ideal viewing conditions include clear skies with plenty of daylight.
Comparative to Earth, Mars is much smaller and has a much thinner atmosphere. Its surface consists of rock with reddish hues due to iron oxide. Craters and lava flows dot its surface; Olympus Mons is one of the tallest volcanoes in our Solar System at three times taller than Mount Everest! Additionally, two permanent polar ice caps cover its surface.
Mars follows an elliptical orbit which means it may reach as far from the Sun as 228 million kilometers (128 million miles), yet come within just 206 million km (155 million miles) at times. A full orbit takes 687 days – almost double what an Earth year takes!
Mars possesses a dense core spanning 930 to 1,300 miles (1,500 to 2,100 kilometers), with an outer core approximately 500 kilometers in radius and an icy mantle approximately 10-50 kilometers thick. Above its mantle sits an atmospheric layer composed of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapor which can be seen through telescopes; although its composition remains uncertain.
It is the second smallest planet in the Solar System
Mars is the second-smallest planet in our Solar System and about one-tenth the size of Earth. Located approximately 142 million miles away from its source of light and taking 13 minutes for sunlight to reach it, its surface consists mainly of rocks and its atmosphere is minimal – meaning temperatures on Mars tend to remain quite cold.
Mars is also extremely dusty, leading many people to refer to it as “The Red Planet.” The hue is due to iron oxide found in rocks and dust. Phobos and Deimos are two small moons orbiting Mars that orbit between 24-24 hours each sol day; due to Mars’ distance from its star, seasons vary considerably more often.
Scientists remain uncertain how Mars came into being. One theory suggests it formed from debris left from when gas giants in our Solar System formed; another postulates it formed due to gravitational forces drawing gas molecules in through gravitational forces – similar to how Earth and Moon came about.
Mars features many diverse terrain features, from craters and valleys to polar ice caps that may hold water under certain circumstances. Olympus Mons, an enormous shield volcano measuring 21.9 km high is considered its highest mountain; more than twice the height of Mount Everest!
Mars was named for the Roman god of war who had an affair with Venus. To commemorate his contribution to their culture, Romans held an annual festival dedicated to Mars each March; from this tradition came our expression: women come from Venus while men from Mars.
Mars, like other terrestrial planets, is made primarily of rock with a thin atmosphere. Its gravity is about 40% that of Earth; its surface features numerous craters and valleys; dust storms are frequent; temperatures on Mars tend to be significantly cooler; few resources exist here for keeping itself warm.
It is the only planet inhabited by robots
Mars is unique among planets in our Solar System in that its surface has been extensively explored by robots. Robotic spacecraft have orbited it to map its terrain and map out volcanoes and canyons as well as showing that once upon a time there may have been oceans on it – though these disappeared long ago. Mars also boasts two moons: Phobos and Deimos.
Red Planet atmosphere contains carbon dioxide, nitrogen, argon and water vapor in its thin atmosphere. Due to no magnetosphere and minimal magnetic field strength, charged particles from the Sun more readily reach its surface. Average temperature on red Planet is below freezing; contributing to its dry, dusty climate; however polar caps contain ice which melts every spring back into atmosphere reentering atmosphere once more; giant dust devil storms are also frequent on planet.
Mars is second only to Jupiter among the planets of our Solar System in size and gravity; yet, due to being further from its source. Yet scientists have detected evidence of water on Mars’s surface such as gullies and channels running for miles – likely from flowing liquid trapped beneath layers of ice or rock.
Scientists have not discovered evidence of life on Mars; its thin air cannot support Earth-like organisms. It’s possible, though, that microbes once existed on this world and survived in protected environments.
Countries around the world want to send humans to Mars, yet their mission has only just begun. Travel time from Earth may take as much as one year depending on seasonal factors and launch method; probes may take even longer due to distance from Sun and speed of movement through solar system.
The Soviet probe Mars 2 became the first human-made object to land on Mars in 1971, followed by US spacecraft Mars 3 in 1976 and Spirit and Opportunity from NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Mission operating for more than 15 years on the surface. Additionally, other robotic spacecraft such as American Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Indian Mangalyaan still orbit Mars.
It is the closest planet to the Sun
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and approximately half as big as Earth. Its orbit is elliptical and takes about 1.5 astronomical units to circle it completely around. Due to chemical elements in its soil, most of Mars’ surface appears red due to this effect. The name Mars comes from Roman deity Mars who had an affair with Venus leading him to make this statement “women come from Venus and men come from Mars”.
Mars’ polar caps are composed of carbon dioxide ice and water ice. They melt during summertime as water freezes out from under them, expanding and melting during warmer periods while contracting again as temperatures decrease in wintertime. Mars has an atmosphere composed of carbon dioxide, nitrogen and argon with trace amounts of oxygen present; telescope observations have documented numerous meteorological and seasonal phenomena on its surface such as various cloud types forming, changes to size or color of dark areas and fluctuations in polar ice cap extent over time.
Mars days last about 24 hours and 37 minutes, roughly twice as long as Earth days. Mars also shares Earth’s tilted axis and four seasons; though their lengths differ due to perihelion and aphelion occurring at different times on Mars.
Mars is covered with craters and canyons, evidence of its past watery existence including ancient river valley networks and deltas, with observations from space as well as soil samples revealing that around 3.7 billion years ago Mars had thicker atmosphere and liquid water on its surface.
Mars is often seen as a model for human life and used as an example. Like Earth, it features clouds and winds, 24-hour days and season cycles; similarly polar ice caps and volcanoes mirror those found here; there are even signs that its once robust atmosphere has been compromised due to solar radiation; scientists speculate that Mars had thicker, warmer atmosphere in its early years which might still contain water beneath its surface today.