Mars – Mars is also known as Red Planet due to the iron oxide or rust on the surface of this planet that gives a reddish appearance. It is the second-smallest planet in the Solar System that is larger than only Mercury and is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere that contain a crust mainly composed of elements which are similar to the crust of the Earth.

Important facts about Mars – There are several amazing facts about Mars are discussed below –

1. Mars is also popularly called as red planet because the surface of this planet is rich in iron which rusts and appears reddish brown.
2. Mars contains the largest dust storms in the solar system and can last for months that cover the whole planet.
3. The atmosphere of Mars is a very thin, which composed or contains mainly carbon dioxide with less than 1% percent of the atmospheric pressure on Earth.
4. The duration of days on Mars is 24 hours and 37 minutes and is longer as compared with the Earth due to the orbit around the sun of Mars being larger than the Earth.
5. Mars contains 2 moons which name are Phobos and Deimos as compared with Earth has only one moon. These two moons or natural satellites on Mars are discovered by Asaph Hall in the year 1877. The diameter of Phobos is about 14 mi (22 kilometers), and Deimos is about 7.5 mi (12 kilometers).
6. The reddish appearance of Mars is due to iron oxide or rust and sometimes this planet also appears golden, greenish, and brown.
7. Mars also contain polar ice caps that are made up of carbon dioxide and frozen water.
8. Mount Olympus is the highest mountain and the largest volcano on Mars in the solar system. It is about 600 km and 16 miles across the base which is 2.5 times the height of Mount Everest above sea level.
9. Mars is the second-smallest planet in the solar system and is the fourth planet from the Sun.
10. Galileo Galilei is the first individual to detect Mars by using a telescope in the year 1610.
11. Mars is the desert and cold planet because of less temperature far below freezing.
12. Mars is similar as compared with Earth in different ways including the seasonal cycles and rotational periods of Mars are the same as the Earth.
13. The surface gravity on Mars is only about one-third as compared with the surface of Earth, which means person could jump around three times higher on Mars.
14. Researchers found evidence of a lake under the south polar ice cap of Mars in the year 2018.
15. Red planet is also popular destination for robotic missions, which includes the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter that are exploring or examine the planet.
16. You can easily watch Mars from Earth with the naked eye and its magnitude reaches 2.94.