Mars has fascinated humans for thousands of years. As our closest planetary neighbor, this reddish planet has been the subject of intense study and exploration. Here are 10 of the most fun and fascinating facts about Mars that you likely never knew before:
Mars is named after the Roman god of war
The reddish appearance of Mars reminded ancient astronomers of blood, so they named the planet after Mars, the Roman god of war. In Roman mythology, Mars was the father of Rome's legendary founders Romulus and Remus.
Mars is home to the tallest mountain in the solar system
Olympus Mons on Mars is the tallest known mountain in our solar system at a staggering height of around 15 miles high! That's over 2.5 times taller than Mount Everest here on Earth. Olympus Mons is an immense shield volcano that likely formed billions of years ago.
Mars has the largest dust storms in the solar system
Mars is prone to gigantic dust storms that engulf the entire planet. These can last for weeks or even months at a time. The dust storms are caused by rapid heating of the atmosphere during the warmer summer season in Mars' southern hemisphere.
Mars has polar ice caps that contain both water and CO2
Just like Earth, Mars has ice caps at its northern and southern poles. But unlike Earth, these polar caps contain frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice) in additional to frozen water. During winter, up to 30% of Mars' atmosphere condenses out into the polar caps as CO2.
Mars has two moons: Phobos and Deimos
Mars has two small, irregularly shaped moons called Phobos and Deimos. They are named after the horses that pulled the chariot of Mars in Roman mythology. Phobos and Deimos have surfaces cratered by meteor impacts and are some of the darkest objects in the solar system.
Mars has valleys that were likely carved by water
The surface of Mars shows signs of ancient rivers, lakes, and valley networks all likely carved billions of years ago by flowing water. Although Mars today is too cold and dry for liquid water, it was likely warmer and wetter early in its history.
Mars has an atmosphere that is mostly CO2
The atmosphere of Mars today is very thin at around 1% the density of Earth's atmosphere. It consists of around 95% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen, 1.6% argon, and trace amounts of oxygen and water. The thin atmosphere provides little insulation or protection from cosmic radiation.
Mars has evidence of ancient hot springs and lakes
In multiple locations on Mars, rovers have discovered sedimentary deposits of minerals that directly indicate the former presence of hot springs, lakes, and potentially even a habitable environment long ago when liquid water existed. These sites are prime targets to search for signs of past Martian life.
Mars has soil that contains many of the nutrients needed to support life
Chemical analysis of Martian soil shows it contains elements like nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur that would be essential for supporting life as we know it on Earth. Martian soil alone does not prove life exists but means it would be possible for life to survive if other conditions were met.
Mars has methane in its atmosphere that could be a sign of life
Trace amounts of methane detected in Mars' atmosphere are tantalizing since living organisms produce much of the methane on Earth. While geological processes can also release methane, the gas is rapidly destroyed by sunlight so it requires an active source. The methane could potentially come from microbial life even today.
Mars has auroras at its poles just like Earth
Shimmering light shows known as auroras occur at the poles of Mars during intense solar activity. They are similar to the northern lights on Earth. On Mars, the auroras are created as energetic charged particles from the Sun interact with gases in the atmosphere.
Mars has evidence of ancient volcanoes just like Hawaii
Huge volcanic provinces have been discovered on Mars that formed from molten rock in the planet's deep interior billions of years ago. These areas would have seen immense volcanoes far bigger than the Hawaiian volcanoes on Earth today. Volcanic eruptions may have released gases that contributed to a warmer early Mars.
Mars once had a magnetic field like Earth that decayed
Unlike Earth, Mars lacks an active global magnetic field today. But mineral deposits show the planet did have a magnetic field billions of years ago that magnetized rocks and provided shielding from solar radiation. As Mars cooled, convection in its core ceased and its magnetic field decayed away.
Conclusion
Mars continues to captivate our imagination as both a planetary neighbor and a potential second home for humanity. Up-close exploration has revealed Mars to be a dynamic, complex world with a history far richer than early observers could have known. While still mysterious in many ways, each discovery tells us more about Mars' formation and evolution and uncovers hints that life may have once existed there long ago. As our robotic and future human-crewed missions explore and sample more of the red planet, we are sure to uncover even more astounding facts about Mars that we never knew before.
FAQs
Q: How long is a day on Mars compared to Earth?
A: A Martian day (known as a sol) is 24 hours and 37 minutes, so just slightly longer than an Earth day of 24 hours. This is due to Mars' rotation period.
Q: Does Mars have any rings like Saturn?
A: No, Mars does not have any rings. This is likely due to a combination of Mars' smaller size and distance from the gas giants whose gravitational forces shape ring systems.
Q: What technology was used to learn about the Martian atmosphere?
A: Studies of Mars' atmosphere relied heavily on spectroscopic analysis from telescopes, Mars spacecraft, and instruments like those on NASA's Viking landers which can precisely identify atmospheric gases.
Q: Could there be liquid water on Mars today?
A: In extremely limited amounts, perhaps. Features like dark streaks on some slopes could potentially indicate the seasonal flow of small amounts of briny liquid water on today's Mars. But the planet is too cold for stable liquid water on its surface.
Q: Has anyone set foot on Mars yet?
A: No, at present all exploration of the Mars surface has been conducted solely by robotic spacecraft and rovers. NASA does aim to send astronauts to Mars sometime in the 2030s.