The Red Planet
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and is named after the
Greek god of war. It is also called the red planet because it glows
red in the sky. The presence of rust (iron oxide)
on its surface gives the planet its colour.
Quick Q’s:
1. Can you see Mars
from the Earth?
On a clear night, Mars
can be observed with
the naked eye. Between
July and September
the Martian surface
can be observed clearly
through a telescope.
2. How many moons
does Mars have?
Mars has two moons
called Phobos and
Deimos, which orbit
very closely to its
surface. Both moons
are believed to be
asteroids that were
captured by the
gravity of Mars as they
came close to it.
3. Is there life
on Mars?
The atmosphere
of Mars is 95 per cent
carbon dioxide, 3 per
cent nitrogen and
1.6 per cent argon.
Traces of oxygen
and water have also
been found. Some
scientists have claimed
to have found traces
of methane. This gave
rise to the speculation
that there may be
life on Mars, since
methane is a gas
produced by many
animals. But other
scientists pointed
out that methane is
also produced by
the mineral olivine,
which can be found
on Mars.
Q What is the
surface of Mars like?
A The surface of
Mars is divided into
the northern plains
flattened by lava flows, and
the southern highlands marked
by huge craters. The planet boasts Olympus
Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system.
Q Is there water on Mars?
A Scientists have found signs of water
in rock layers. In 2006, the scientists saw new
deposits of sediment on the surface of Mars.
These sediments had not been there six years
earlier. According to scientists at NASA, this
is the strongest evidence so far that water still
flows occasionally on the surface of Mars,
though other scientists say the sediments
could have been deposited by carbon dioxide
frost or movement of dust. Samples of the
minerals haematite and goethite have also
been found in Mars. These minerals are
sometimes formed in the presence of water.
The scientists have also found signs of
frozen water near the South Pole of
Mars. It is believed that huge floods
flowed through Mars about 3.5 billion
years ago. The water from the floods
may have once collected in huge basins.
Q Why are seasons on Mars longer than on
Earth?
A Mars and Earth are tilted on their axis in
the same way. Therefore, Mars has almost the
same kind of seasons as Earth. However,
because a Martian year is equal to two years
on Earth, each Martian season lasts twice as
long as the seasons on Earth.
Q What kind of weather would you
find on Mars?
A The temperature varies from -140 to
20 °C (-220 to 68 °F). The polar ice caps on
Mars increase and decrease in size alternately
in winter and summer. Mars also has dust
storms, which can cover the entire planet.
Olympus Mons
The tallest volcano in the
solar system, Olympus
Mons towers 27 kilometres
(16.88 miles) above the
surface of Mars.
Look out for Mars
From 27 August 2006,
Earth and Mars have been
closer to each other than
they have been in the last
60,000 years! It has begun
to appear brightly in the
night sky, as seen here
while looking south-east
from Poodle Rock in the
Valley of Fire State Park,
Nevada, USA. Now Mars
will be the brightest
object in the night sky
after the Moon and Venus.
Martian moon
The two moons of Mars
are quite small compared
to our Moon. They may be
asteroids caught by the
gravity of Mars.
Red planet
The surface of Mars looks reddish brown
due to the presence of iron oxide.
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