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Learn about the basic characteristics and features of Mars, such as its distance from the sun, diameter, tilt, length of year and day, gravity, temperature, atmosphere, and moons. Compare and contrast Earth and Mars with a 3D model and a detailed fact sheet.
- Mars in Our Night Sky
Mars Facts. Mars – the fourth planet from the Sun – is a...
- Mars
Mars is a cold desert world. The average temperature on Mars...
- In Depth
In Depth. Mars is no place for the faint-hearted. It’s dry,...
- Mars in Our Night Sky
- Mars is also referred to as the “Red Planet” because it has high content of iron oxide which makes it appear reddish. However, gold, brown, tan, and green can also be seen on the surface as other minerals are also present.
- Mars’ dense core is made of iron, nickel, and sulphur. Elements present in its rocky mantle include iron, magnesium, aluminium, calcium, and potassium.
- Due to its red colour, Mars was named after the Roman god of war Mars (known as Ares by the Greeks).
- Mars has a thin atmosphere.
- Named after the Roman God of war, Mars is the fourth planet from the sun in our solar system.
- Mars is also known as the ‘Red Planet’ because, well, it’s red! This signature colour comes from the large amount of a chemical called iron oxide (or ‘rust’ as you might know it) in its rocks and soil.
- Mars is the second smallest planet in the solar system after Mercury. With a diameter (distance through the middle) of 6,791 kilometres, it’s roughly half the size of Earth.
- It can get pretty cold on Mars –– much colder than our own planet, since it’s further away from the sun. At the equator, temperatures can reach 20°C, but at its poles they can plummet to as low as -140°C.
Learn about Mars' features, history, missions, and potential for life. Find out how to explore Mars in 3D, see images and videos, and read stories and articles about the planet.
- Moons
- Olympus Mons
- Valles Marineris
Mars has two small moons, Phobos and Deimos. They were discovered in 1877 by astronomer Asaph Hall, who named them for the Latin terms “fear” and “panic”. These moons are thought to be captured asteroids and are among the smallest natural satellites in the solar system.
Mars has the largest volcano in the solar system – Olympus Mons. It measures some 600 kilometres across and rises nearly 27 kilometres above the surrounding terrain. It is a shield volcano built by the continuous action of flowing lava over millions and millions of years that began some 3 billion years ago. Olympus Mons is part of a complex of volc...
The Valles Marineris is an extensive canyon system on the Mars equator. It is 4,200 kilometres long and, in places, is 7 kilometres deep. On Earth, it would span the entire North American continent and beyond. Mars has has a very primitive form of plate tectonics, and the action of two plates past each other began splitting the surface some 3.5 bil...
