Mars is the Planet that is fourth that orbits the Sun. In keeping with Mars’ Red Planet’s bloody hue, The Romans named the Planet in honour of the god war. The Romans took inspiration from the ancient Greeks who named the Planet in honour of Their god of war, Ares. Know interesting Mars facts below!
Other civilizations also gave the planet names according to its colour, such as, for instance, the Egyptians called it “Her Desher,” meaning “the red one,” and the ancient Chinese Astronomers called”the fire star “, the fire star.”
The bright rust hue Mars is famously recognized by its iron-rich minerals in its regolith, which is the loose rock and dust and sand that cover the surface. The soil on Earth is a type of regolith; however, it is a plethora of organic material. According to NASA, iron minerals oxidize or rust, which causes the soil to appear red. Discover some fantastic Mars facts here!!
Interesting Mars Facts
1.) Named in honour of The Roman god of war. Mars is the 4th Planet in our solar system.
2.) Mars is also known as the “Red Planet” because it’s red! This distinctive colour is due to the abundance of a chemical known as iron oxide (or “rust” as you may know it) in the Planet’s soil and rocks.
3.) Mars is the second most tiny Planet in our solar system, after Mercury. With an area (distance across to the centre) of 6,791 kilometres, approximately two-thirds the width of Earth.
4.) It’s pretty freezing at times on Mars — even more so than our Planet because it’s farther than the Sun. In the equator region, temperatures could exceed 20degC, and at the poles, they can drop to the lows of 140 degrees Celsius. Brr!
5.) Mars is home to the highest peak in our solar system – the volcano Olympus Mons. At 24 kilometres high, it’s around three times taller than Mount Everest!
6) You can jump 3 times more high on Mars than on Earth. Boing! This is because our gravity of the Planet is the force that keeps us grounded is much less strong.
7.) Do you enjoy taking a moment to watch your moon in the night? Check this out: Mars features two moons! One moon is named Phobos, and the other is Deimos.
8.) The average day for Mars is just 24 hours and 37 minutes, just a tiny less than a full day on Earth. However, an entire year on Mars, is more than double the length, spanning six87 days on Earth! This is because Mars is a long time for Earth to finish its journey around the Sun.
9) Up until recently, the scientists believed that there was no liquid water in the atmosphere of Mars — it was just soil dust, rocks and Ice. However… news flash! In 2018, scientists discovered evidence that a lake existed underneath the ice cap of the South Pole. Exciting stuff!
10. Humans have not yet been to Mars However, researchers have launched spacecraft to Mars to aid in studying the amazing Planet. The first spacecraft that landed upon Mars was The Viking Landers, which touched the Planet’s surface in 1976.
Fun Science Facts About Mars
- Mars is sometimes referred to for its role as the Red Planet. It is because Mars is covered with soil, rocks, and dust made of iron oxide that provides the Planet with a red-rusty colour.
- Mars is named for the Roman god of war.
- Mars has two moons known as Deimos as well as Phobos. They are named for the two horses that drive through the Roman god of war Mars”‘s chariot. They could be asteroids that were captured by Mars the gravity.
- Mars is the fourth planet in the solar system. It is 227,936,637 kilometres (141 million miles), far from the Sun. It will take about 300 days (around 8 months) to reach it from Earth.
- Mars is less than Earth, with 4217 miles of diameter. It is the second-smallest planet in the solar system.
- A typical day on Mars runs for 24 hours as well as 37 mins.
- The year that we spend on Mars has 687 consecutive days. This equals 1.9 Earth years. This is because Mars is farther from the Sun and therefore is slower to orbit it.
- The tilt of the axis of Mars has a value of 25°, which implies that the Planet has seasons just like us on Earth because different regions are located closer to the Sun during different dates during its rotation.
- Mars has a fragile atmosphere composed of 95.9 per cent carbon dioxide and 2.7 per cent nitrogen. This thin atmosphere it’s not enough to hold sunlight’s heat. As a result, it’s very cold; it can range from -100 in winter and 20 in summer.
- Mars has shallow gravity. The gravity for Mars is about 37% lower than that on Earth. That means on Mars; you can jump 3 times higher than you would on Earth.
- Mars is an earth-like planet since it has the rockiest and hard surface. The northern portion of Mars is comprised of plains with no hills, and its southern part has ridges and craters.
- Mars’ surface is home to numerous plains, channels, and canyons that could result from erosion of water (water taking away at the surfaces). This is a sign that liquid, open water in liquid form existed on Mars’ surface millions of years ago.
- Mars has massive dust storms caused by the Sun, which can last for several months. Dust storms can completely cover Mars and continuously alter Mars its surface.
- Mars is the home of Olympus Mons, a dormant volcano, which is also the largest and the highest mountain in our solar system. It’s 16 miles tall and 600 kilometres across the base, which is 3 times the size of Mount Everest.
- The most giant crater on Mars has been identified as Borealis Basin. It covers 5300 miles long from End to End and encompasses 40% of Mars’s surface.
- Mars is home to the most giant canyon in the Solar System, Valles Marineris. It’s 4 miles deep and is thousands of miles in length.
- Mars has both south and north poles similar to Earth. The Polar ice caps are coated by a frozen layer of carbon dioxide (dry ice).
- Because it’s so close to Earth, Mars is the planet where humans will likely be able to visit and discover first.
- We have sent our Mars Rovers (which look like robots) for expeditions to discover Mars and collect samples and records of science-related data that scientists from Earth analyze. The Rovers are Viking 1, Viking 2, Mars 2, Mars 3, Spirit, Phoenix, Pathfinder, Curiosity, and Opportunity.
- There isn’t any evidence of existence on Mars. But, it is one of the planets with the most favourable conditions for life, and scientists believe there is a possibility for life beneath the surface of Mars since they recently discovered water ice beneath the surface.
Wrapping Up:
Are you interested in learning more about Mars and the planets, the solar system, and even the universe? For more science information, astonishing facts, and even more excitement, sign up for our science camps for the holidays and Spring term classes in science in which youngsters can explore, learn with, play, and explore!
