MARS
Small and red in colour, Mars is more like earth than any other planet .People once believed that intelligent beings lived on mars- but space probes have shown that they no Martians, and no other life on the planet. It is too cold, and the atmosphere is too thin for life to exist.
Why Mars is called the ‘Red Planet’?
Astronomers call Mars the red planet because of is colour. Its surface is reddish- orange. This colour comes from the rust-like iron minerals in the surface rock and soil.
How is Mars made up?
Mars is a rocky planet and it has a similar make-up to Earth. It has a hard crust, a rocky mantle and an iron core. Its atmosphere, however, is very much thinner than Earth’s. The atmospheric pressure on Mars is only about a hundredth of what is it on Earth. The main gas in the Martian atmosphere is carbon dioxide, instead of nitrogen and oxygen, as on Earth. There is very little moisture in the atmosphere, and no oceans, lakes or rivers. Around the cold poles, the moisture freezes to form the planet’s ice caps. Although Mars is similar to Earth in some ways, it is a lot smaller.
Does Mars have moons?
Mars has two small moons, Phobos and Deimos. Phobos is the larger, but is less than 30 kilometres across. Astronomers believe they were once asteroids, captured by Mars’ gravity.
Which space probes explored Mars?
In 1965, Mariner 4 flew past and sent back pictures. Mariner 6 and 7 also flew past, and, in 1997, the Pathfinder dropped landers onto the surface. In 1997, the Pathfinders probe landed, carrying a small vehicle called Sojourner, which investigated the surrounding rocks.
What is Mars’ surface like?
Mars’ surface is dotted with vast deserts, craters and volcanoes. The highest volcano, Olympus Mons, is nearly 30 kilometres high. There is also a gash in the surface over 4,000 kilometres long and 7 kilometres deep in places. It has been called Mars’ Grand Canyon, but it proper name is Mariner Valley. Smaller valleys look as if they have been made by flowing water, so astronomers think that Mars may once have had rivers and seas.
MARS DATA
Diameter at equator : 6,787 km
Average distance from the Sun : 228 million km
Minimum distance from Earth : 56 million km
Turns on axis : 24 hours 37 minutes
Circles Sun : 687 Earth-days
Surface temperature : -110°C to 0°C
Satellites : 2
Small and red in colour, Mars is more like earth than any other planet .People once believed that intelligent beings lived on mars- but space probes have shown that they no Martians, and no other life on the planet. It is too cold, and the atmosphere is too thin for life to exist.
Why Mars is called the ‘Red Planet’?
Astronomers call Mars the red planet because of is colour. Its surface is reddish- orange. This colour comes from the rust-like iron minerals in the surface rock and soil.
How is Mars made up?
Mars is a rocky planet and it has a similar make-up to Earth. It has a hard crust, a rocky mantle and an iron core. Its atmosphere, however, is very much thinner than Earth’s. The atmospheric pressure on Mars is only about a hundredth of what is it on Earth. The main gas in the Martian atmosphere is carbon dioxide, instead of nitrogen and oxygen, as on Earth. There is very little moisture in the atmosphere, and no oceans, lakes or rivers. Around the cold poles, the moisture freezes to form the planet’s ice caps. Although Mars is similar to Earth in some ways, it is a lot smaller.
Does Mars have moons?
Mars has two small moons, Phobos and Deimos. Phobos is the larger, but is less than 30 kilometres across. Astronomers believe they were once asteroids, captured by Mars’ gravity.
Which space probes explored Mars?
In 1965, Mariner 4 flew past and sent back pictures. Mariner 6 and 7 also flew past, and, in 1997, the Pathfinder dropped landers onto the surface. In 1997, the Pathfinders probe landed, carrying a small vehicle called Sojourner, which investigated the surrounding rocks.
What is Mars’ surface like?
Mars’ surface is dotted with vast deserts, craters and volcanoes. The highest volcano, Olympus Mons, is nearly 30 kilometres high. There is also a gash in the surface over 4,000 kilometres long and 7 kilometres deep in places. It has been called Mars’ Grand Canyon, but it proper name is Mariner Valley. Smaller valleys look as if they have been made by flowing water, so astronomers think that Mars may once have had rivers and seas.
MARS DATA
Diameter at equator : 6,787 km
Average distance from the Sun : 228 million km
Minimum distance from Earth : 56 million km
Turns on axis : 24 hours 37 minutes
Circles Sun : 687 Earth-days
Surface temperature : -110°C to 0°C
Satellites : 2
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