In this day and age, it’s all about what’s happening in space, especially since we’re not that many years away from space travel with Virgin Galactic in the making. One of the most famous and talked about planets in the solar system, bar Earth, of course, is Mars. Perhaps it’s because of the wild myth that men are from Mars, or the stories that little green men reside on the planet; while neither of the former is true, let’s take a look at some cool facts about mars.
Sunsets are blue
While sunsets one earth can range colors, they’re mostly a reddish-orange color that fills the sky. Some people like to describe it like it’s on fire. However, while Mars shares similarities of this color scheme during the day, it couldn’t be more different at night time. This is largely due to what Mars’s atmosphere comprises of, paired with the scattering of light as it enters. All mixed together and the sunset is a blue hue.
Mars has two moons
While this might seem like a strange idea, when you realize that Uranus has twenty-seven moons, it makes Mars’ look like nothing. However, Mars has one more moon than Earth, one of them is called Phobos, and the other is called Deimos. They’re not particularly large, and they have an irregular shape.
Mars has ice
Some years ago there was a new flurry that there was water on Mars; however, it actually exists in the form if ice caps. Most people probably thought it would be impossible to have ice on this planet, and imagined it as a planet of volcanoes and fire. However, it’s actually too cold for water, maintaining it in its icy form. Some scientists believed that water did flow at some point in the planet’s history, but certainly not recently or any time soon.
Mars isn’t completely red
The rusty-red color is mainly due to the dust that has been suspended in the atmosphere, and the color is due to the oxide within the particles. This, in everyday terms, is like rust particles. However, if you get up close and personal with the surface, the colors have been described as being more similar to butterscotch, brown, tan, and even some green tinges.
Mars has less gravity than Earth
If you were to take a casual visit to this famous red planet, then you would find yourself weighing a whole lot less than you did before; or that’s how it would feel. Mars only has 38% of the surface gravity that we have here on Earth, making everything seem a lot lighter than it otherwise would on Earth. If you wanted, you could jump three times higher.
Mars is home to the tallest mountain
If you’re a mountain-climbing buff, then we’re afraid you have your work cut out for you. Mars is the home to the tallest mountain in the entire solar system, and it is called Olympus Mons. This mountain is 21km high and has a diameter of 600 km. This makes it roughly three times taller than Mount Everest.
Mars is the second smallest planet
While many people grew up with Pluto being considered a planet, it is now classified as a dwarf planet, which is entirely separate. Mercury is then the smallest planet, and then Mars after that. However, it has a similar surface area to Earth due to the fact Earth’s surface us 70% water, and Mars only has ice.
The planets are fascinating, and as time goes by, scientists discover more and more about what makes them go round.
