Interesting facts about the planet Mars

The relative proximity of Mars to the planet Earth and the lack of a cloud layer above the planet create ideal conditions for astronomers and scientists trying to learn as much as possible about the planet or even find life on it.

Facts about the planet Mars:

1. The surface of Mars is red because there is a lot of iron in the soil, which has a rusty color.
2. A solar day on Mars lasts 40 minutes longer than on Earth.
3. The weight of a person on Mars would be about 2/5 of his weight on our planet.
4. The diameter of the planet is 6,792 km.
5. The highest mountain in the solar system is located on Mars – “Olympus”. Its height is 22,456 m (almost three times higher than Mount Everest).
6. The average distance from the Sun to Mars is 228 million km.
7. Today, Mars is the most studied planet. Numerous scientific studies of Mars can be explained by the fact that the planet is not far from Earth, and unlike other planets, Mars does not have a cloud layer.
8. Among all the planets of the solar system, Mars is the planet most similar to our Earth.
9. The journey from Earth to Mars (and back) will take approximately 16 months.
10. Only 1/3 of spacecraft sent to Mars were successful. Therefore, scientists are investigating the theory of the Martian analogue of the “Bermuda Triangle” in which ships disappear.
11. Because of the low pressure on Mars, no human can survive on the planet without special equipment. The conditions on the planet will instantly turn the oxygen in human blood into bubbles, which is incompatible with life.
12. Theoretically, if you could reach Mars by car, such a trip would take 271 years and 221 days (at a speed of 95 km/h).
13. Every 780 days, the Earth and Mars find themselves at the minimum distance from each other, which varies from 56 to 401 million km. Such convergences of planets are called oppositions.
14. On Mars, there is a canyon with the greatest length and depth. The Mariner Valley canyon system on Mars is 4,000 km long, 200 km wide, and 6 km deep.
15. On Mars, the average temperature is -62 °C and can vary from -153 °C in winter to +20 °C in summer.
16. The European Space Agency and NASA have been working for many years to prepare future missions to Mars. Their plans include landing a man on Mars by 2035.
17. No other planet in the Solar System has such large-scale dust storms: they often cover the entire area of ​​the planet and last for months.
18. In 1609, Galileo Galilei first saw Mars through a telescope.
19. Due to the elliptical orbit of Mars, the seasons on the planet are not equal – spring and summer last longer in the northern hemisphere, and autumn and winter in the southern hemisphere.
20. The ancient Greeks believed that the Earth was the center of the universe and that Mars was only one of five stars that traveled around it.
21. As a result of the lack of an ozone layer on Mars, the surface of the planet is “bathed” in a lethal dose of radiation every sunrise.