What Are Some Interesting Facts About Mars?

Mars is a reddish color which reminds some people of blood, so it was named after the Roman god of war. The reason Mars is that particular color is because the soil has a lot of iron in it and iron rusts there just like it does on Earth.

The rusty red color of Mars is just one of several intriguing facts about this mysterious planet:

• Planets come in two types; either they are terrestrial planets and are made mostly of rock, or they are gas giants, and are made mostly of gas. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are terrestrial planets and Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are gas giants. 
• Mars is the fourth planet from the sun and with a diameter of 4220 miles. It is a bit more than half the size of Earth.
• Mars is very cold. Temperatures range from -207 degrees F to 32 degrees F.
• The poles of Mars are covered in ice (carbon dioxide) and the amount of ice varies by season. 
• The core of Mars is solid, made of nickel, iron, and sulfur. The outer crust is basalt. 
• Mars has two small moons, Deimos and Phobos. In Greek mythology, they were the sons of the god of war, Ares. Deimos means “flight” and Phobos means “fear or panic” like the word “phobia.” 
• The moons of Mars do not orbit in the same direction. Deimos orbits east to west, and Phobos orbits from west to east.
• The moon Phobos is coming closer and closer to the atmosphere of Mars. When it gets too close, gravity will break it apart. Then, the debris will become a ring. This may happen in the near future, potentially by 2075.   
• Mars orbits the Sun every 687 Earth days.
• A day on Mars is slightly longer than a day on Earth.
• Mars has huge dust storms and one of them covered the entire planet.  These storms are a curiousity to scientists for two reasons: 1) Because dust storms usually don’t occur on planets without much atmosphere; and 2) Icy clouds sometimes form on Mars out of dust and carbon dioxide. This is unusual because Mars has no surface water.
• Life may have existed on Mars in the past. Carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, water, and an energy source are all that is needed for life. A meteorite landed on Earth in 1996 and it had had microscopic life on it.

Records of Mars

Mars holds several records:

• Mars has the highest mountain in all of the solar system, Olympus Mons. It is an inactive volcano that is 15.5 miles high and 372 miles in diameter.

• Mars has the biggest canyon system in all of the solar system, the Valles Marineris, which is 2500 miles in length and is four miles deep.

Fact or Fiction About Mars

Here are some facts and false assumptions about the planet Mars:

• Ancient civilizations have different names for the red planet.  Mesopotamia associated Mars with the god Nergal, who was the lord of the underworld, which gave him influence over war, fire, and disease.  Mars was named Horus the Red by the Egyptians and one Indian name for Mars means “burning coal.”   
• There were great floods when Mars was forming and this action carved out channels on the surface. These have been the objects of much speculation over the years because they show signs of potential water. We now know that there is some ice under the surface, but none above it.
• When the canals were discovered on Mars in the 1880s, many were convinced there were Martians. During the radio broadcast in 1938 of the "War of the Worlds," people believed the broadcast was a true event and Martians were invading Earth. 

• When the Viking orbiter took pictures of the planet’s surface in the 1970s, a lot of people thought they saw a Sphinx-like structure, giant faces, and pyramids. Some say they are caused by erosion and others think they are evidence of ancient alien civilizations. 

So, now you know all about the famous planet Mars and can share these Mars facts with your friends.