Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. Named after the Roman god of war, it is often referred to as the "Red Planet" because the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere, having surface features reminiscent both of the impact craters of the Moon and the valleys, deserts, and polar ice caps of Earth.
Physical characteristics[edit | edit source]
Mars is approximately half the diameter of Earth with a surface area only slightly less than the total area of Earth's dry land. Mars is less dense than Earth, having about 15% of Earth's volume and 11% of Earth's mass, resulting in about 38% of Earth's surface gravity.
Surface geology[edit | edit source]
Mars is a rocky planet. Its solid surface has been altered by volcanism, impacts, winds, crustal movement and chemical reactions. Mars has the largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons, and the longest canyon, Valles Marineris.
Atmosphere[edit | edit source]
The Martian atmosphere is thin and is composed mainly of carbon dioxide (95.32%), with minor amounts of nitrogen (2.7%) and argon (1.6%), and traces of oxygen and water.
Mars in culture[edit | edit source]
Mars has been known since ancient times due to its reddish color. It is often associated with war and destruction in various cultures. In modern times, Mars has been a staple of science fiction due to speculation about life on Mars.
Exploration of Mars[edit | edit source]
Mars has been explored by several uncrewed spacecraft, beginning with the Mariner 4 flyby in 1965. As of 2021, the Mars Rover missions are actively exploring the surface of Mars.
See also[edit | edit source]
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Local Interstellar Cloud → Local Bubble → Gould Belt → Orion Arm → Milky Way → Milky Way subgroup → Local Group → Local Sheet → Virgo Supercluster → Laniakea Supercluster → Local Hole → Observable universe → Universe ) may be read as "within" or "part of". | |||||||||||||||||||||
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