Mars in a nutshell
Mars:
- is the fourth planet from the Sun
- makes one revolution round the Sun in 687 days. A Martian day, known as a sol, is 24 hours, 39 minutes and 35 seconds
- has an atmosphere made up mostly of carbon dioxide (95%)
- has a force of gravity at its surface only 38% as strong as Earth's
- has two moons called Deimos and Phobos
- is between 55.7 and 401 million km from Earth
- is about 228 million km from the Sun
- has an average temperature of -53ºC (temperatures can oscillate between -128ºC and 27ºC, depending on the place and the time of day)
- is swept by strong winds reaching an average of 200 km/h
- is half the size of Earth
- has four seasons, since the planet's orbital inclination is 25.19º (the Earth's is 23.45º)
This computer generated image shows bluish-white water ice clouds that hang above the Tharsis volcanoes.
(Credit: NASA/JPL/MSSS)
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