If it were to fly by rocket from the sun, the next planet to Earth would be Mars. Mars has some things in common with Earth, but there are more differences. It has two satellites. They are smaller than the Earth's moon, but they are longer than the daytime on Earth, which is low on the planet. What is surprising is that water-frozen ice was found north of Mars, like the Earth's poles. Mars has a very thin atmosphere, so it just escapes a lot of heat into space. In addition, it is much colder than Earth because of its very long distance from the sun. Also, the thin atmosphere has little oxygen to breathe, and it absorbs most of the sun's harmful rays, making it unsuitable for human life.
The Mars volcano called Mons Olympus, which stopped working a long time ago, is the tallest volcano in the solar system. It is 25 kilometers tall, three times higher than Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth. There is also a canyon called the Marineris Valley, which is 6.5 kilometers deep, 4.8 kilometers deeper than the huge Grand Canyon.
For centuries, people have thought that there might be life on the planet. In fact, billions of years ago, Mars might have been a planet not much different from Earth. Many scientists have found evidence that there was a river or shallow sea on the planet (how accurate it is not yet known). The people who gave Mars its scientific name believed that the planet had become barren and arid due to water absorbing into the atmosphere and then dissipating into space. Many space probes have recently been sent to Mars to investigate the planet due to the growing interest in planets other than Earth. After working with scientists at the Russian Space Research Institute, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched Mars Express, the first Mars probe in Europe, and approximately six months later, it sent in some images of the planet's surface. After closely analyzing and interpreting the photos, the scientists concluded that the trail was wet. But eventually they discovered that the trail was actually just a light-created shadow. However, in 2003 and 2004, the United States had considered Spirit and Opportunity. It is possible that Mars was a planet similar to Earth billions of years ago. Numerous scientists have discovered evidence—the exact nature of which is unknown—that a river or shallow sea once existed on the planet. The people who gave Mars its scientific name believed that the planet had become barren and arid due to water absorbing into the atmosphere and then dissipating into space. Mars is being explored by numerous space probes as a result of the increased interest in planets other than Earth. The first European Mars rover, Mars Express, was developed in close collaboration with scientists at the Russian Space Research Institute. It was launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) and some surface photos were obtained about six months later. The scientists concluded that the trail appeared to be wet after carefully examining and evaluating the photos. But eventually they realized that the trail was actually just a light-created shadow. By comparison, the United States conducted surface exploration in 2003 and 2004 after landing the Mars probes Spirit and Opportunity on the planet. Finding proof that life once existed on Mars is still a goal shared by many scientists. On January 14, 2004, U.S. President George W. Bush announced that he would one day send a man directly to Mars to explore. If you want to become an astronaut, you may become the first human to take a step on Mars!
The ancient Romans associated Mars with blood because of its red color. That's why they named it Mars after the god of war. The Roman leaders also kept a sacred object known as Mars' spear in a temple, and when the Romans went to war, one of them shouted, 'God of Mars, wake up!' and waved it.
It is said that Caesar, the great Roman emperor, considered Mars his guardian deity.
Like Venus and Mercury, Mars is easiest to observe just before sunrise or right after sunset. And it comes closest to Earth every 26 months, which is the best time to observe it. You can find out the date by looking at astronomical sites and magazines.
Characteristics of Mars
Diameter: 6,780km
Length of the day (varying cycle): 24.6 hours on a global basis
Length of one year (air cycle): 687 days on earth
Satellites: Two
Surface temperature: -120C to 30C