mars lore (read description)

Mars lore (read description); Mars ♂ Mars appears as a red-orange globe with darker blotches and white icecaps visible on both of its poles. Pictured in natural color in 2007[a] Designations Pronunciation /ˈmɑːrz/ (listen) Adjectives Martian (/ˈmɑːrʃən/) Orbital characteristics[5] Epoch J2000 Aphelion 249261000 km (154884000 mi; 1.66621 AU)[1] Perihelion 206650000 km (128410000 mi; 1.3814 AU)[1] Semi-major axis 227939366 km (141634956 mi; 1.52368055 AU)[2] Eccentricity 0.0934[1] Orbital period (sidereal) 686.980 d (1.88085 yr; 668.5991 sols)[1] Orbital period (synodic) 779.94 d (2.1354 yr)[2] Average orbital speed 24.007 km/s (86430 km/h; 53700 mph) Mean anomaly 19.412°[1] Inclination 1.850° to ecliptic 5.65° to Sun's equator 1.63° to invariable plane[3] Longitude of ascending node 49.57854°[1] Time of perihelion 2022-Jun-21[4] Argument of perihelion 286.5°[2] Satellites 2 Physical characteristics Mean radius 3389.5 ± 0.2 km[b] [6] (2106.1 ± 0.1 mi) Equatorial radius 3396.2 ± 0.1 km[b] [6] (2110.3 ± 0.1 mi; 0.533 Earths) Polar radius 3376.2 ± 0.1 km[b] [6] (2097.9 ± 0.1 mi; 0.531 Earths) Flattening 0.00589±0.00015[4][6] Surface area 144.37×106 km2[7] (5.574×107 sq mi; 0.284 Earths) Volume 1.63118×1011 km3[8] (0.151 Earths) Mass 6.4171×1023 kg[9] (0.107 Earths) Mean density 3.9335 g/cm3[8] (0.1421 lb/cu in Surface gravity 3.72076 m/s2[10] (12.2072 ft/s2; 0.3794 g) Moment of inertia factor 0.3644±0.0005[9] Escape velocity 5.027 km/s (18100 km/h; 11250 mph)[11] Synodic rotation period 1.02749125 d[12] 24h 39m 36s Sidereal rotation period 1.025957 d 24h 37m 22.7s[8] Equatorial rotation velocity 241 m/s (870 km/h; 540 mph)[1] Axial tilt 25.19° to its orbital plane[1] North pole right ascension 317.68143°[6] 21h 10m 44s North pole declination 52.88650°[6] Albedo 0.170 geometric[13] 0.25 Bond[1] Surface temp. min mean max Kelvin 130 K 210 K[1] 308 K Celsius −128 °C[15] −63 °C 35 °C[16] Fahrenheit −200 °F[15] −82 °F 95 °F[16] Surface absorbed dose rate 8.8 μGy/h[17] Surface equivalent dose rate 27 μSv/h[17] Apparent magnitude −2.94 to +1.86[14] Angular diameter 3.5–25.1″[1] Atmosphere[1][18] Surface pressure 0.636 (0.4–0.87) kPa 0.00628 atm Composition by volume 95.97% carbon dioxide 1.93% argon 1.89% nitrogen 0.146% oxygen 0.0557% carbon monoxide 0.0210% water vapor Some of the most notable surface features on mars include features such as Olympus Mons, the largest volcano and highest known mountain on any Solar System planet, and Valles Marineris, one of the largest canyons in the Solar System. The smooth Borealis basin in the Northern Hemisphere covers 40% of the planet and may be a giant impact feature.[19] The days and seasons on Mars are comparable to those of Earth as the planets have a similar rotation period and tilt of the rotational axis relative to the ecliptic plane. Liquid water on the surface of Mars cannot exist due to low atmospheric pressure, which is less than 1% of the atmospheric pressure on Earth.[20][21] Both of Mars's polar ice caps appear to be made largely of water.[22][23] Multiple lines of evidence suggest that Mars was wetter in the distant past, and thus possibly more suited for life. However, whether life ever did exist there, and if it could have survived to the present day, remain unanswered questions. Mars has been explored by several uncrewed spacecraft, beginning with Mariner 4 in 1965. NASA's Viking 1 lander transmitted the first images from the Martian surface in 1976. Two countries have successfully deployed rovers on Mars, the United States first doing so with Sojourner in 1997 and China with Zhurong in 2021.[24] There are also planned future missions to Mars, such as a Mars sample-return mission set to happen in 2026, and the Rosalind Franklin rover mission, which was intended to launch in 2018 but was delayed to 2024. Mars can easily be seen from Earth with the naked eye, as can its striking reddish coloring. This appearance, due the iron oxide prevalent on its surface, has led to Mars often being called the Red Planet.[25][26] It is among the brightest objects in Earth's sky, with an apparent magnitude that reaches −2.94, comparable to that of Jupiter and surpassed only by Venus, the Moon and the Sun.[14] Historically, Mars has been observed since ancient times, and over the centuries, Mars has been featured in culture and the arts in ways that have reflected humanity's growing knowledge of it.