The planet Mars, also known as the great red planet, is the fourth closest world to the Sun, our beloved neighbor in the Solar System, and undoubtedly one of the most intriguing in our planetary system, keeping many awake at night. In this article, I will tell you about some interesting facts about Mars.
19 Fun Facts About Mars
Some of the curious facts about Mars are:
1. Galileo Galilei and Mars
Galileo Galilei was the first person to look at Mars with a telescope . He did so in 1609, at the age of 45.
2. One Mars year equals 188 Earth years
Mars takes about 686.98 days to complete one orbit around the sun, while Earth takes 365 days, 6 hours, and 9 minutes to perform the same maneuver. To put that in perspective, one Martian year is equivalent to 188 Earth years. Furthermore, if you'd like to learn more about time on Mars, you can visit this article about the Mayan calendar.
3. The closest thing to Mars that we deal with is Antarctica
Antarctica is a unique and amazing region. Studies and similarities suggest that the place on Earth most resembles Mars, particularly in its desert landscapes. You might also be interested in learning more about fascinating facts about the solar system.
4. Mars is 90% smaller than Earth
The so-called red planet is not very large, and its mass corresponds to 10% of Earth's mass, approximately 6,4169 × 10^23 kilograms, making it the seventh largest planet in the Solar System. Only Mercury is smaller.
5. We own portions of Mars here on Earth
We know that both Earth and Mars were originally formed from a series of cosmic collisions, fused together by giant asteroids billions of years ago. Some of the fragments resulting from the impacts on Mars ended up orbiting in the Solar System for millions of years and, governed by gravitational forces, eventually settled here on Earth. To learn more about the possibility of living on Mars , you can visit this link.
6. On Mars there is less gravity sum than on Earth
This fact is quite obvious. Mars has up to 62% less gravity than Earth. This topic can be complemented with information about the gravity of Jupiter , a completely different planet.
7. Mars also has 4 seasons
One of the interesting facts about Mars is that it has four seasons ( spring, summer, autumn, and winter ), just like Earth. The main difference lies in the duration of these seasons. In the northern hemisphere, Martian spring lasts for seven months and summer for six, but autumn and winter vary by only a few months.
8. The Egyptians were the first to designate the planet
Mars's first nickname was Har dècher, which would symbolize something like "the red one," and was given to him by the ancient Egyptians. Likewise, the Babylonians called him Nergal ("star of death"), the Greeks and Romans called him Ares and Mars , respectively, in honor of their supermen, and finally, the Hebrews acclaimed him Ma'adim, which would represent "the one who blushes."
9. The third month of the year
Continuing with the topic of nominalizations, March, the third month of the Gregorian calendar, took its name from Mars. Etymologically, March comes from the Latin *Martis* , derived from Mars, the Roman god of war. This might also be of interest to those who wish to learn more about Celtic mythology.
10. The Martian Symbol
The symbol of Mars is the same emblem that personifies the male sex. It is a shield with a spear, which is none other than, justifiably, that of Mars or Ares, ancient gods of war alluded to in the original.
11. Mars has two moons
The planet Mars has two natural satellites: Phobos and Deimos, similar to our Moon. You can learn more about these moons in our post about interesting facts about the Moon.
The difficulty is that Phobos is expected to collide with Mars, as it is moving very close to its atmosphere . In any case, it's still a long way off; astronomers expect it to happen in 10 to 50 million years.
12. It has the worst sandstorms you can imagine
Despite its size, Mars experiences the largest, most intense, and most powerful dust storms in the entire Solar System. NASA scientists have been documenting these terrifying dust storms on Mars since 1971.
However, even today they have not been able to establish why they last so long (several months) and are so intense. They presume that the fact that the dust particles converging in the atmosphere of Mars soak up so much sunlight, raise the temperatures of the atmosphere and excite strong winds, has a lot to do with it.
13. Mars has the highest mountain in the Solar System
Another of Mars's astronomical records is that of having the tallest mountain in the entire Solar System. Known as Olympus Mons, it rises more than 27 km above the surrounding plains.
14. In the same way it has the deepest canyon
That's right, it also boasts the deepest canyon in the entire Solar System. It's called Valles Marineris , which stretches for 4000 km from the Martian equator and features areas with a depth of 7 km.
15. Why is Mars red?
Its nickname is not accidental, but rather a matter of cause and effect. Mars is red because it possesses formidable amounts of iron oxide ( iron and oxygen ). The entire planet is literally rusting; the metallic rocks and mountains of Mars are relentlessly oxidizing, which is why the entire planet boasts that particular rusty color that varies between shades of dark red, reddish-brown, and dark brown.
16. The atmosphere of Mars is what does not agree that it has water
Mars's extremely thin atmosphere, composed largely of carbon dioxide, is the reason there is no liquid water on the planet. While gas may be present, and ice is known to exist within it, liquid water is not found. If you'd like to learn more about nature and its fascinating aspects , you can read this article.
17. The “Martian Bermuda Triangle”
There is something that in the scientific community is known as the " Martian Bermuda Triangle " or "great galactic demon," neither literal, both partly designated for entertainment purposes, which refer to the disappearances of robotic and technological devices sent to Mars.
In essence, 1 out of every 3 spacecraft sent to Mars manages to reach the surface; the other two are unsuccessful and disappear, break down, or lose contact with the base upon reaching the red planet.
18. If Mars Had Humans
If humans were on Mars and didn't wear appropriate spacesuits , they would die quickly, but in great pain. What would happen is that, due to the extremely low pressure on Mars, the oxygen in the blood circulating throughout the body would fizz out, causing an instant and agonizing death.
19. Noctis Labyrinthus
Noctis Labyrinthus (Latin) or " The Labyrinths of the Night " in English, are the labyrinths found in the canyons of Mars. The grandest, deepest, most intricate, and most unexplored labyrinths in the entire Solar System. Darkness, desert, secrecy, and all the fatal things you can imagine.
You might also be interested in: 9 WONDERS IN THE CHARACTERISTICS OF PLANET EARTH
All the planets in our solar system possess unique qualities that undoubtedly make them marvelous celestial bodies. While some are extremely icy, others, on the contrary, can be incredibly hot, as is the case with today's star. Learning about the fascinating facts of Mars, and therefore its characteristics, is a captivating topic for space enthusiasts.
