Did you know that Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun it’s also the second smallest planet in the solar system? Mars is named after the Roman god of war, Mars has a reddish appearance and is often described as the “Red Planet” it’s a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere composed mainly of carbon dioxide. In this post we will share the top 10 Facts About Mars.
10. Mars Dust Storms
Huge dust storms on Mars regularly change its surface; the storms are violent and long lasting. The storms are created when particles of dust on the planet’s surface absorb sunshine, which raises the temperature of the atmosphere there. When the particles travel to cold areas, and the wind picks up, that creates the big, ferocious dust storms. When Mariner 9 landed on Mars, it took a month for it to capture clear photos because there was of the violent wind storm. The dust storms are a major reason it is unlikely people will colonize Mars.
9. Mars has Two Faces
The Red Planet is said to have “two faces” because it has very different temperatures between its hemispheres. There is a northern and a southern hemisphere. While the northern face is smooth, the southern one is bumpy. In addition, the southern side has a denser crust than does the upper hemisphere. It is like having two planets within one. This duality may originate from an incident in which an asteroid hit Mars. Many scientists believe that event caused the large crater that exists in the northern hemisphere and altered the planet’s characteristics.
8. Mars has the Largest Volcano Anywhere
The biggest volcano is on the Red Planet. It is called Olympus Mons, and its size is impressive at 25 km high with a base diameter of 600 km. If you want a comparison on Earth, Olympus Mons would likely cover the entire distance from the East Coast of the US to the West Coast of the country. Another way to describe this huge volcano is as three times the tallness of Mount Everest. Olympus Mons is so big that it was spotted with a telescope in the 1800s.