Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is about one and a half times further from the Sun and about half the size of the Earth. Mars' year is a little less than 2 Earth years. Its day is about the same as the Earth's. Mars' average temperature is a little cooler that Earth's. Sometimes known as the "Red Planet", The color of Mars comes from minerals in the soil that contain iron and oxygen. Mars is solid. It has numerous interesting features, indicating there may have been water at some time. On average, Mars is 142 million miles from the sun. Its diameter is 4222 miles.

Mars is named after the god of war from Roman myth. The month of March is named for Mars. There are two moons and no rings circling the planet. The Viking spacecraft has visited Mars and landed on its surface.

Interesting Facts
· Look out for dust storms! Fast winds can whip dust more than 25 miles into the air. A big dust storm can cover the planet and last for months at a time.
· You would easily adjust to Mars time. A day lasts only slightly longer than an Earth day- about 24 ½ hours.
· You might see something that looks like snow falling on Mars. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may freeze around dust, creating "snow" in the planet's polar region.
· If you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would weigh 38 pounds on Mars, but only about one and a half ounces on Phobos, one of Mars' two moons.

 

1 Orbit of Sun	686.98 Days
1 Rotation	24 Hours 37 Minutes
Distance From Sun	142 Million Miles
Maximum Temperature	98° F
Minimum Temperature	-190° F
Atmosphere	Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen, Argon
Diameter	4222 Miles

 

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Other Sites
· The Nine Planets (http://www.planets4kids.com/mars.htm)
· Kids Astronomy.com (http://www.kidsastronomy.com/mars.htm)
· Introduction to the Nine Planets (http://www.seds.org/billa/tnp/mars.html)