What Do You Know About Mars?
How many moons does Mars have?
- Mars has a pair of moons called Phobos and Deimos. The former is an inner moon located closer to Mars and the latter is much smaller and further away, with both being uneven and asteroid-like.
What was the Roman god known for that Mars is named after?
- While the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians had different names for Mars, its name ultimately came from the Romans who named it after their god of batle and lust for violence, with its intense red color reminding the Romans of bloodshed.
How far away is Mars from the Sun?
- As the fourth planet, Mars is only measured as being 1.5 astronomical units or 12.7 light minutes away from the Sun.
What is Mars’ planet type?
- Mars, like Earth, is classified as a rocky, terrestrial world, lying within the inner orbits. Other planets within this group include Venus and Mercury, and all lie within the orbit of our Solar System.
What is Mars’ size compared to Earth?
- With a radius of 3,390 kilometers, Mars is smaller than Earth with an iron, nickel, and sulfur core.
How long is a single day on Mars?
- One day on Mars works out to 24 hours, 37 minutes, and 22 seconds, due to its orbit being only slightly slower than Earth’s, as well as having a similarly elliptical orbit.
Which interesting dynamics does Mars have on its planetary surface?
- Mars has a diverse and fascinating landscape that has intrigued scientists and observers for many years, with new discoveries coming routinely. For example, evidence shows that Mars used to be warmer, wetter, and more habitable.
How deep is Mars’ largest canyon, called Valles Marineris?
- The Valles Marineris on Mars is the largest canyon in the entire Solar System and is significantly deeper than Earth’s deepest above-water cleft, as the Grand Canyon only reaches 1.8 kilometers in depth.
Mars is one of the classical planets that are visible to the naked eye— how many planets are in that group that people can spot, including Mars?
- For centuries, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Saturn, and Venus have been visible without a telescope, with ancient cultures first noting them in the sky and recording their positions.
How many rovers are still on Mars today?
- Over the years, several scientific exploration vehicles, called rovers, have been dispatched to Mars. Of the seven still on the planet, three are still active: NASA’s “Curiosity” and “Perseverance”, and China’s CNSA “Zhurong”.
