Mars, the planet placed fourth from the sun, is well known for its rusty red colour. Space explorers from all over the world frequently bring up the subject of Mars. Many spacecraft have been sent there for research. Some seek to use it to land spacecraft. The planet is just far enough away to make that dream challenging, yet just close enough to spark our curiosity. What are some of the most vital facts to know about Mars?
1 - Iron oxide is the reason Mars is known as the "red planet."
Another name for Mars is the Red Planet. This is so that the reddish-rusty colour of Mars' surface can be caused by soil, rock, and dust made of iron oxide.
2 - Mars's name comes from a Roman god.
The Ancient Greeks named the planet Ares after their god of war; later, the Romans did the same, attributing Mars, their own god of war, to the planet's blood-red colour. It's interesting to note that other ancient societies also placed a strong emphasis on colour: the Egyptian priests invoked "Her Desher," or "the red one," while Chinese astronomers referred to it as "the fire star." Mars is known for its distinctive red colour due to the iron-rich rocks and dust that cover its surface.
3 - Mars's temperature is considerably lower than Earth's.
It is a frigid planet due to its distance from the Sun. Mars' equator has an average temperature of 20 °C, but the poles are even colder, at -140 °C. The planet may adapt to an environment that is favourable for life in the next 25,000 years if the climatic conditions adjust.
4 - The tallest mountains in our solar system are found on Mars.
A shield volcano, Olympus Mons is 600 km in diameter and 21 km high. The evidence from volcanic lava flows is so fresh, despite the fact that it formed over billions of years, that many scientists think it might still be active.
5 - Two moons are visible on Mars.
Mars has two moons, Deimos and Phobos. Their names refer to the two horses that pull the chariot of the Roman god of war. They might be asteroids that Mars' gravity has captured.
6 - Among planets, Mars is the second-smallest.
The diameter of Mars is 4217 miles, making it smaller than Earth. In our solar system, it is now the second-smallest planet.
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7 - Mars' atmosphere is unfriendly to humans.
There is extremely little oxygen in the atmosphere of Mars, which is approximately 100 times thinner than the atmosphere of Earth. If you walked outside without a spacesuit with oxygen, you couldn't breathe the Martian air.
8 - Mars has a longer year than Earth.
A year on Mars lasts 687 Earth days, whereas a day there is just slightly longer than an Earth day at 24.6 hours. That equates to roughly two Earth years.
9 - The largest dust storms in the solar system are on Mars.
On a windy day on Mars, iron-oxide dust particles blow at 160 km/hr. The greatest dust storms in the solar system happen on Mars. There, storms are frequent and occasionally cover the entire planet.
10 - On Mars, you can jump three times higher.
Gravity is very weak on Mars. Mars has 37% less gravity than Earth does. So you could jump three times higher on Mars than you could on Earth.