7/5/2023 0 Comments Mars climate orbiter![]() ![]() This is another similarity with Earth, which has an axial tilt of 23.4 degrees. Mars' axis of rotation is tilted 25 degrees with respect to the plane of its orbit around the Sun. Martian days are called sols – short for "solar day." A year on Mars lasts 669.6 sols, which is the same as 687 Earth days. Orbit and RotationĪs Mars orbits the Sun, it completes one rotation every 24.6 hours, which is very similar to one day on Earth (23.9 hours). From this distance, it takes sunlight 13 minutes to travel from the Sun to Mars. One astronomical unit (abbreviated as AU), is the distance from the Sun to Earth. If Earth were the size of a nickel, Mars would be about as big as a raspberry.įrom an average distance of 142 million miles (228 million kilometers), Mars is 1.5 astronomical units away from the Sun. With a radius of 2,106 miles (3,390 kilometers), Mars is about half the size of Earth. Instead, they're looking for signs of life that existed long ago, when Mars was warmer and covered with water. Scientists don't expect to find living things currently thriving on Mars. Other civilizations also named the planet for this attribute – for example, the Egyptians called it "Her Desher," meaning "the red one." Even today, it is frequently called the "Red Planet" because iron minerals in the Martian dirt oxidize, or rust, causing the surface to look red. Mars was named by the ancient Romans for their god of war because its reddish color was reminiscent of blood. Go farther: Mars exploration and missions > ![]() Mars is one of the easiest planets to spot in the night sky – it looks like a bright red point of light.ĭespite being inhospitable to humans, robotic explorers – like NASA's new Perseverance rover – are serving as pathfinders to eventually get humans to the surface of the Red Planet. The fourth planet from the Sun, Mars is one of Earth's two closest planetary neighbors (Venus is the other). ![]()
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