9 Interesting Features of the Planet Mars

Ever since humanity began to raise its head and look at the sky, its first target has always been the Moon, the satellite of our Earth. It’s been a while since I’ve been to the Moon, now it’s Mars. In recent years, studies on Mars by both government agencies and private companies have increased our knowledge of this red planet. In fact, we not only learn about Mars, we even plan to establish a civilization there one day.

One day we will definitely go to Mars, can we establish a civilization is a separate issue, but it is possible to see that these studies have sprouted little by little. So what do we know about this red planet that we dream of going and living on one day? Let’s look at the interesting information about the red planet Mars, about which we learn new things every day, and try to get to know this planet a little more closely.

Features of Mars:

Mars and Earth have approximately the same land mass:

Surprising but true. Mars is only 15% of Earth’s by volume. It’s about 10% of the Earth’s by mass. But let’s see that the land masses of these two planets are the same. This is because about two-thirds of the Earth is covered with water. So when we consider their dry areas, the two planets have the same land mass. Mars’ gravity is only 37% of Earth’s. In other words, if you can jump 1 meter on Earth, you can jump 3 meters high on Mars.

The highest known mountain in the Solar System is located on Mars:

Everest, the highest mountain on our planet, which we admire on Earth, is about 9 kilometers long. The highest mountain on Mars is exactly 21 kilometers long and about 600 kilometers in diameter. This mountain, called Olympus Mons, is the highest known mountain not only on the red planet, but in the Solar System. This mountain, which is thought to have undergone billions of years of formation, is a volcano. It is thought to be passive, but the lava remains seen in the examinations are so new that it would not be wrong to think that it is still active.

The largest known dust storms in the Solar System occur on Mars:

The elliptical orbit formed between the Sun and Mars is much longer than that between the Sun and other planets in the Solar System. For this reason, the seasons experienced on Mars have an extremely severe effect. Dust storms, which are one of the events that occur as a result of the severe effect of the seasons, can last for months. Moreover, some of these dust storms that last for months can be strong enough to cover the entire planet.

On Mars the Sun appears much smaller:

Because of the distance between Mars and the Sun, on the red planet the Sun appears half as visible as on Earth. When Mars is tilted closer to the Sun, there is a scorching summer, and when Mars is tilted farthest from the Sun, a longer and milder summer is experienced. When other points of the planet are away from the Sun, there are merciless winter seasons.

There are pieces of Mars that fell to Earth:

When we think about the first formation processes of the planets, it is possible to predict that many planetary parts were scattered due to the collisions and this galactic debris formed is circulating in the vacuum of space. We understand from the celestial bodies falling to the Earth that this is not a prediction but a reality. When some celestial bodies that passed through the Earth’s atmosphere and fell to the earth were examined, traces of Mars were found. These traces are rare pieces that have managed to reach us after millions of years spent in the vacuum of space.

There is water on Mars:

Studies on the red planet for many years clearly reveal that there is water in the form of ice. Ice-cold waters already exist on many planets. There is a lot of important evidence that there is liquid water on Mars. These evidences, seen as traces of water, show water in liquid form. These waters are thought to be salty because they do not evaporate and do not freeze.

One day Mars will also have a ring:

We know that there are rings around the planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, albeit in different densities. However, Mars does not have any rings. At least for now. Phobos, the largest moon of Mars, will feel its gravitational effect more strongly in the next 20 to 40 million years. At the end of 100 million years, Phobos will be completely disintegrated by the force of gravity, and when these pieces begin to orbit Mars with the effect of gravity, it will become a ring of the red planet.

The sky on Mars is very different from what we are used to:

The sky on Earth is blue, while sunsets have a reddish color. If we ever start living on Mars, we won’t be able to find these familiar colors. Because the sky seen all day on Mars is in pink and red tones. During sunset, the sky turns blue. This is almost the opposite of what we’re used to.

Mars has been called by different names throughout history:

Not as it is today, but throughout history, scientists have always been aware of this red planet. The ancient Greeks called this planet Ares. The Romans called it Mars, the god of war. For Chinese astronomers, this planet was a fire star. Egyptian priests referred to it by the name of each desher, meaning the red one. The reason for the red color of Mars, which we refer to as the red planet today, which is generally associated with war, is that the rocks and dust covering the surface are extremely rich in iron.

Mars features:

• Equatorial diameter 6792 kilometers
• Pole diameter 6752 kilometers
• Its mass is 6.39 × 10^23 kg
• Phobos and Deimos, moons of Mars
• Orbital distance 227,943,824 kilometers
• Orbital period 687 days
• The surface temperature ranges from -87 to -5 degrees.
• The first records about Mars belong to the Egyptians and date back to 2 thousand BC.

We talked about interesting information about the red planet Mars, about which we learn something new every day and dream of living there one day, and explained its prominent features. You can share your thoughts on Mars studies of government organizations and private companies in the comments.