MARS
"The Red Planet"
Mars as the fourth planet from the sun is
Called red planet . It is most similar planet to Earth in solar
system but with about half size of the Earth, very thin
atomosphere and rocky dry Surface.
MARS' SURFACE
Mars' rocky dry surface is mostly covered by
iron- Rich- dust. In northern hemisphere there are low-lying
plains and in south one there are impact craters, having frozen
ground for kilometers.
A Mollweide projection of Mars made from four pictures taken by Hubble Space Telescope in 1999. A storm is visible in the top left near the pole.
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Olympus Mons, the largest volcano on Mars; it is perhaps the largest volcano in the Solar System. It is 17 miles (27 km) tall and over 320 miles (520 km) across. It is thought to be extinct.
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Scientists have thought that the surface of
the Mars have no liquid for long time, but the recent satelline
photos clearly shows that because of the effect of old water upon
Mars’s landscape, in form of ancient dry river paths, lakes and
flow channels, there might be liquid water on it's surface
Scientists say most of waters on Mars are
frozen in land and in polar ice caps.
Mars is mapped by G schiapareli an Italian
astronomer in 1877 who mentioned the "Canal" net work on Mars.
But later it was found that some of these canals were dry or
they have not been Canals at all. After schiapareli a hemisphere
of Mars and a Martian impact crater (Crater schiaparelli, 461 km
= 277 miles in diameter) were named.
SIZE
The diameter of Mars is about 4.222 miles
(67900km) which is % 53 (Little more then half) of diameter of
the Earth.
Planetary composition
Crust and surface:
The surface of Mars is mostly made of iron-rich
basaltic rock (a igneous rock) and like Earth have a thin crust.
Mantle:
Silicate rock which possibly is hotter than
mantle of Earth in according depths.
Core:
Mars's core composition probably is iron and
sulfides and it's radius should be around 800-1500 miles
(1300-2400 km).
Mass & Gravity
Mass of Mars is about 6.42
1023 kg and this is 1/9 th of Earths
mass. It means that one whose weight is 100 pound on the Earth,
his weight will be 38 pounds when goes to Mars
LENGTH OF A DAY AND YEAR ON MARS
Length of one day on Mars is 1.03 of Earth's
day it means (24.6 hours).
One year on Mars is 687 Earth days and it means 687 days takes
till Mars rotate around the sun once.
MARS' ORBIT
The distant of Mars from sun is 1.524 times
more than distance between Earth & sun. It's average is 141.6
million miles (227.9 million km) from the sun. and it's orbit is
much more elliptical. The orbital eccentricity of Mars is highest
after Pluto in our solar system.
ATMOSPHERE
Mars got a thin atmosphere which contains %
95 carbon dioxide (CO2), 3% nitrogen and 1.6% argon
(there is not oxygen).The atmospheric pressure in Mars is about 1% of
Earth's pressure at sea level and significantly changes during the
year. Because of large stores of frozen carbon dioxide at north
and south poles during warm seasons, the polar cap partly melts
and carbon dioxide releases and in cold season polar cap portly
freezes and captures atmospheric carbon dioxide in each
hemisphere.
The atmospheric pressure changes extend from
season to season, and this difference is %25 during winter than
during the summer in northern hemispher. It has been occuring
because of less air and most carbon dioxide and Mars' highly
eccentric orbit, Mars is %20 closer to sun in winter than during
summer, therefore the northern polar cap compare to southern one
absorbs more carbon dioxid on half Martian year later.
In Mars’s atmosphere sometimes there are clouds
which have composition of carbon dioxide ice crystals or frozen
water crystal (less frequently), and there are also a lot of dust
particles suspended in Mars’s atmosphere which contains a lot of
iron dioxid. These particles absorb blue light and therefore sky
shows to have little blue and pink / yellow to butter scotch in
color.
TEMPERATURE RANGE
The average
temperature in Mars surface is – 81oF or (-63oC)
and it's range is from 68oF (20oC)to-220oF(-140oC).
It means that the Mrs is much colder than Earth.
MARS' MOONS
Mars has two tiny
moons called phobos and Demos which are possibly asteroids
that ispulled into Mars’s orbit..
SPACECRAFT VISITS
The first space craft
visited Mars was Mariner 4 (in 1965) and two Viking spacecraft
landed in 1976, and in July 4, 1997. Mars’s pathfinder could
land in Mars and send photos.
THE FACE ON MARS
NASA'S Mars Global
surveyor has taken this photo from cydonia Mense region of Mars
in 1998 this is a harmony set of rocks and other geologic
formations which looks like a human face through this angle.
DISCOVERY OF MARS
Human has known the
Mars since ancient times.
MARS' NAME AND SYMBOL
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This is the symbol of the planet Mars.
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Mars was named of
Roman god of war.
