Mars Surface has mainly a cold, dry, desert landscape of sand and rocks and features like volcanoes, canyons, and valley. Planet Mars Surface has been explored by many spacecraft.
First Astronaut Walk on Mars
SECRET PHOTO….1st Astronaut Mars Walk by USA. Pyramids are a Mars Military Base.
Northern Hemisphere
The northern hemisphere has fewer craters and these appear far less eroded indicating they are much younger than those of the southern hemisphere.
Southern Hemisphere
The southern hemisphere of Mars is quite heavily cratered and resembles the surface of our Moon. The surface is old and has been relatively unchanged for some time.
Atmosphere:
The atmosphere of Mars is thinner than the Earths. It consists mainly of carbon dioxide with some nitrogen and argon.
How long is a Mars Year?
687 days.
Martian Volcanoes
Olympus Mons (Mars) is the largest volcano in the Solar System.
Olympus Mons is 600 km across its base.
Polar Caps
Mars has polar caps that change with the Martian seasons.
Largest Canyon
Valles Marineris is the the largest canyon on Mars. It extends for aprox. 5000 km, widest portion is 500 km wide and as much as 6km deep.
Plate Tectonics
There is no evidence on Mars for large scale plate tectonics as found on Earth.
Mars Surface Color (Colour)
The surface is red.
Temperature
Average surface temperature is -63 °C (-81 F) and night-time temperatures on Mars can plunge to -110 °C (-170 F). In comparison to Earth, the lowest temperature ever recorded was -89 °C (-130 F) at Vostok, Antarctica, Earth in July, 1983.
The Seasons of Mars
Mars has seasons similar to those on Earth. However they vary due to the affect of planet’s axial tilt and variable distance from the Sun. The Martian seasons are twice as long because the Martian year is almost twice that of Earth (1 Martian year is as long as 1.88 Earth Years).
Age of Surface
It is thought to be 4.5 billion years old.
Water
NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter provided evidence that liquid water flows intermittently on present-day Mars.
Wind
Winds can create dust storms that cover much of the planet. It can be months before all of the dust settles.
History:
Percival Lowell canal-like grooves on Mars?
The Mars Science Laboratory is USA’s latest mars vehicle.
Did you know?
Face of Mars – was it a hoax?
* Mars rotates in the same direction as Earth.
Books:
Mars: The Inside Story of the Red Planet by Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest
from Amazon.co.uk
The Smithsonian Book of Mars by Joseph M. Boyce
from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk
Mapping Mars: Science, Imagination, and the Birth of a World by Oliver Morton
from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk
Mars Surface Links
- OlympusMons.com: -Your Guide to Olympus Mons – the largest …:
- The Surface of Mars:
- Google Mars: the map shows regions, mountains plains, spacecraft, canyons, ridges, dunes and craters.
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