4. Information of Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and is commonly referred to
as the Red Planet.The rocks and soil have a red or pink hue due to
the iron oxiode (rust) they contain .
Planets of the Solar System
10. Days and Years
One martian day
is 24 hours and
37 minutes
One martian year
is 686 earth days,
almost two Earth
years
11. Basic Facts
Distance from Sun ≈1.52 times as far as Earth
Time to Orbit the Sun ~ 26 Earth months
Atmosphere ~ Mostly carbon dioxide
Martian Day ~ 24.7 hours
Temperature on the planet’s surface hardly
rises above freezing point
12. Atmosphere on Mars
Mars has a rocky, dry terrain with huge volcanoes and deep
valleys.The atmosphere is much thinner than Earth’s and is
comprised primarily of carbon dioxide and nitrogen. It’s
gravity is about one-third of our own.
13. Atmosphere
Very thin atmosphere
Mainly carbon dioxide
No oxygen
Dusty, makes the sky
pinkish, lots of dust storms
Composition: 95% CO2, 3% N,
1.5% Ar, 0.1% O2, 0.03% H2O
16. Moons of Mars
Mars has two tiny moons
named “Deimos” (Panic) &
“Phobos” (Fear)
The moons are irregular
and very small in size
Phobos 27x22x18 km
Deimos 15x12x10 km
The moons are probably
asteroids captured by Mars
Deimos Phobos
Image Courtesy of NASA
17. The two Martian moons resemble
asteroids
Mars has two small, football-shaped satellites that move in
orbits close to the surface of the planet
They may be captured asteroids or may have formed in orbit
around Mars out of solar system debris
18. Seasons on Mars
Like Earth, Mars has seasonal changes but the seasons last much longer.
InWinter, Mars’ polar ice cap can reach down to 45 degrees latitude and
then rapidly shrink during Spring. Dust storms are seasonal, also, as
witnessed in this Hubble image.
19. The two faces of mars
the nortern hemisphere and
the southern hemisphere
20. Largest Volcano on Mars
The largest volcano in the solar
system is Olympus Mons. It is
624 km (374 miles) in diameter;
about the same size as Arizona.
The altitude of Olympus Mons
is three times the altitude of
the largest peak on Earth, Mt.
Everest.
21. Polar Ice Caps
Mars’s polar caps contain frozen water, a
layer of permafrost may exist below the
Martian regolith, and there may be liquid
water beneath the surface
The Martian polar caps expand in winter as a
thin layer of frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice) is
deposited from the atmosphere
23. Gigantic Canyon
Valles Marineris, or
MarinerValley, is a vast
canyon system that runs
along the Martian
equator. Valles Marineris
is 2500 miles long and
reaches depths of up to 4
miles.
24. Gigantic Canyon
For comparison, the
Grand Canyon in
Arizona is about 500
miles long and 1 mile
deep. In fact, the extent
ofValles Marineris is as
long as the United
States and it spans
about 20 percent (1/5) of
athe entire distance
around Mars.
25. Mars Surface Features
Surface Color: “Red”
Features
Impact Craters
Largest volcano in the solar
system
(Olympus Mons)
Largest Canyon in the Solar
System
(Valles Marineris)
Ancient river channels
Lava Rocks
Dust: Reddish from volcanic
rock
Valles Marineris
Image Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech
26. The Martian atmosphere changes dramatically
with the seasons
Great dust storms sometimes blanket Mars
Fine-grained dust in its atmosphere gives the
Martian sky a pinkish-orange tint
Seasonal winds blow dust across the face of
Mars, covering and uncovering the underlying
surface material and causing seasonal color
changes
27. Viking Landers
According to scientists, Mars is self-sterilizing. They believe the
combination of solar ultraviolet radiation that saturates the surface,
the extreme dryness of the soil and the oxidizing nature of the soil
chemistry prevent the formation of living organisms in the Martian
soil.The question of life on Mars at some time in the distant past
remains open.
28. Is there Water on Mars?
Water is the key to life as we know it
The north and south poles of Mars are
covered with thick ice or frost
Some astronomers about 100 years ago
thought there were canals on Mars dug by
intelligent civilization
Space probes to date have not found any
traces of canals on Mars
29. Odyssey
Discovered subsurface
water ice near poles
Track changes of polar
ice, clouds and dust
storms
Generated maps of
radiation and minerals
Image Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech
30. QUIZ
1).What planet is the Red Planet.?
2). How many mars could fit inside the earth?
3). How many earth days of one martian year?
4).What is the two tiny moons of planet mars?
5).What shaped resemble of the two moons of mars?
6).What is the largest volcano in the solar system?
7).What is the gigantic canyon in the solar system?
8).What planet is Earth’s little brother?
9). How many months last the dust storm in mars?
10).Who is the god of war?