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It is classified as a terrestrial planet and is the second smallest of the Solar System 's planets with a diameter of 6,779 km (4,212 mi). In terms of orbital motion, a Martian solar day ( sol) is equal to 24.5 hours, and a Martian solar year is equal to 1.88 Earth years (687 Earth days).
At least two-thirds of Mars' surface is more than 3.5 billion years old, and it could have been habitable 4.48 billion years ago, 500 million years before the earliest known Earth lifeforms; Mars may thus hold the best record of the prebiotic conditions leading to life, even if life does not or has never existed there.
Geology of Mars. Generalised geological map of Mars [1] Mars as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. The geology of Mars is the scientific study of the surface, crust, and interior of the planet Mars. It emphasizes the composition, structure, history, and physical processes that shape the planet. It is analogous to the field of terrestrial geology.
Ares, the god of war, was known to the Romans as Mars . Compared to the Earth 's Moon, the moons Phobos and Deimos are small. Phobos has a diameter of 22.2 km (13.8 mi) and a mass of 1.08 × 10 16 kg, while Deimos measures 12.6 km (7.8 mi) across, with a mass of 1.5 × 10 15 kg. Phobos orbits closer to Mars, with a semi-major axis of 9,377 km ...
The atmosphere of Mars is the layer of gases surrounding Mars. It is primarily composed of carbon dioxide (95%), molecular nitrogen (2.85%), and argon (2%). [3] It also contains trace levels of water vapor, oxygen, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and noble gases. [3] [5] [2] The atmosphere of Mars is much thinner and colder than Earth's having a max ...
They have even blown the dust off the solar panels of the Spirit and Opportunity Rovers on Mars, greatly extending their lives. The twin Rovers were designed to last for 3 months; instead, Spirit lasted for 6 years, 77 days, while Opportunity continued to operate for a staggering 14 years, 136 days.
Kepler's geocentric motions of Mars from Astronomia Nova (1609) : Modern opposition computations These charts show the direction and distance of Mars relative to the Earth at the center, with oppositions and apparent retrograde motion approximately every 2 years and closest oppositions every 15–17 years due to Mars' eccentric orbit.
The geological history of Mars follows the physical evolution of Mars as substantiated by observations, indirect and direct measurements, and various inference techniques. Methods dating back to 17th-century techniques developed by Nicholas Steno, including the so-called law of superposition and stratigraphy, used to estimate the geological ...