 |
COMMITTED TO HELPING YOUR
CHILDREN! |
Sun Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto
SUMMARY
Mars, "The Red Planet", is the fourth planet from the
sun. Mars was named
after the Roman god of war, because of its blood red color. For many years
Mars was thought to have intelligent life, but now we know this is not true.
Composition
Back To Top
| Mars is composed mostly of rock, but there are also
large amounts of ice at the polar regions. There may also be large amounts of water
beneath the surface of Mars, scientists are not sure. The surface of Mars is covered
by a strange red-orange dust. Mars has some very interesting surface features such
as huge volcanoes, craters, and canyons. One volcano, called the Olympus Mons, is
the highest mountain in the solar system. There is also a huge canyon, the Velles
Marineris, which is many times the size of the Grand Canyon on Earth. |
Atmosphere
Back To Top
| Mars has a thin atmosphere of mostly carbon dioxide,
with small amounts of oxygen and ozone. The thin atmosphere cannot regulate the
temperature. In the daytime on Mars, it can be as warm as 70 degrees Fahrenheit, but
in the nighttime temperatures drop to -207 degrees Fahrenheit. |
Size
Back To Top
| Mars has a diameter of 4,223 miles, just over half
the size of Earth. Mars is the 3rd smallest planet. |
Orbit
Back To Top
| Mars is about 142 million miles away from the sun,
about 49 million miles past Earth. A day on mars takes about the same amount of time
as a day on Earth, 24 hours and 37 minutes. A year on Mars takes about 687 Earth
days. |
|
