Mass of Earth and Mars. Mars is a planet of the solar system. Spacecraft on Mars

Mars- the fourth planet from the sun. Because of its distinct red color in the sky, the color of blood, the Greeks named it after their god of war - Ares. The Romans liked the comparison with the god of war and they willingly adopted it, although they called it in their own way - Mars. Other civilizations also named this planet based on its visual impression, for example, the Egyptians called Mars “Her Desher,” meaning “red,” and ancient Chinese astronomers referred to it as the “fiery star.”

Dawn on Mars. When viewed from the surface of the red planet, it no longer seems so red to us. In any case, her sky is... bluish

Orbital characteristics of Mars

The axis of Mars, like the axis of the Earth, is tilted relative to the sun, which automatically implies the presence of seasons on the planet. However, since Mars moves around the Sun not in a circular orbit, but in an elliptical orbit (by the way, the most elongated among the planets solar system), all seasons, there are also two types at once. When Mars is closest to the sun and the southern hemisphere faces it, summer will be short but hot, and in the northern hemisphere there will be an equally short but cold winter. When Mars is farther from the sun and the northern hemisphere faces it, summer and winter will be long, without temperature fluctuations.

The axis tilt of Mars can change quite dramatically, since, unlike the Earth, it does not have an impressive “counterweight” (the Moon) to stabilize the system. Theoretically, such jumps can have a very large impact on the planet's climate. In particular, it is assumed that it is the change in the tilt of the planet’s axis that influences the sharp emissions of methane from the interior of the planet into its atmosphere, which in the past may have caused periods of sharp warming.

Average distance from the sun: 227,936,640 km. (1.524 times further than Earth).

Perihelion (closest point to the sun): 206,600,000 km (1,404 times farther than Earth).

Aphelion (farthest point from the sun): 249,200,000 km (1.638 times farther than Earth).

Physical characteristics of Mars

Mars' famous red color is due to loose dust rich in iron covering the entire surface of the planet, if we make some assumptions, then without organic materials, after millions of years, the soil of our planet would look about the same.

Nowadays, water cannot exist on its surface in a liquid state, but judging by soil samples, it used to be much warmer here, and rivers flowed on the surface of the planet. In any case, the beds of Martian rivers have dried up by now, speaking of their not small sizes - up to 100 km in width and up to 2000 km in length. Not bad for a planet whose size is something like half the size of Earth, and whose mass is 10 times less!

Typical - flat plains and lowlands. Mars does not have plate tectonics, so there is nowhere to find a diverse landscape on its surface. The northern hemisphere of the planet is slightly lower in average height than the southern hemisphere. It is assumed that at one time most of these northern lowlands of the planet were occupied by the Martian ocean.

The number of craters on Mars varies dramatically depending on location. Most of the surface of the planet's southern hemisphere has many craters, among which Hellas, 2,300 km wide, stands out, while the northern hemisphere is younger and therefore has fewer craters. In general, in terms of size, Mars is a planet of contrasts. It’s impossible to imagine that on a planet almost entirely covered by plains, there would be simultaneously the highest volcano in the solar system (Mount Olympus, 27 km!) and the longest canyon system (Marine Valley, 4000 km!).

Some craters have unusual “smudges” around them, resembling frozen mud. Theoretically, this could mean that there is still a lot of water under the surface of Mars in the form of ice, which heats up and splashes out to the surface during a powerful impact.

Both poles of the planet are covered with snow caps, although the snow here is not quite ordinary - it is a condensate of carbon dioxide (“dry ice”) that freezes and falls out as precipitation. However, the usual water ice is also hidden under the gas layer. IN summer period The northern snow cap of Mars may melt completely, but the southern snow cap will never melt completely.

Some volcanoes have multiple craters, suggesting that they have recently been cut through, causing lava to cover older craters.

The volcanoes of Mars are one of the “miracles” of the solar system. They are so huge because the molten rock manages to find its way to the surface of the planet, only at a few points

Composition and structure of the surface and atmosphere of Mars

Composition of the atmosphere of Mars

The atmosphere of Mars is about 100 times thinner than Earth's. According to NASA, it consists of 95.32% carbon dioxide, 2.7% nitrogen, 1.6% argon, 0.13% oxygen, 0.08% carbon monoxide, as well as trace amounts of water, nitrogen, neon, heavy hydrogen, krypton and xenon.

Magnetic field of Mars

Currently, there is no global planetary field on Mars, but there are local areas of the surface where the magnetic field is not inferior, or even superior, to the Earth’s. These “islands” are the remains of an ancient planetary magnetic field, which existed 4.5-3.5 billion years ago..

Chemical composition of the interior of Mars

Mars most likely has a solid core made of iron, nickel and sulfur. The composition of the mantle of Mars is similar to that of Earth and includes various compounds of silicon, oxygen, iron and magnesium. The planet's crust is represented by volcanic basaltic rocks, which are also widespread in the earth's and lunar crust. However, the composition of the Earth and Martian crust is not identical - if on Mars the main element of the crust is basalt, then on Earth it is silica.

Moons of Mars

Mars has two satellites - Phobos And Deimos, discovered by an astronomer Asaph Hall in 1877. The names of the satellites are translated from Greek as “Fear” and “Horror.” However, for the sons of the god of war, the names are quite normal, right?

Compared to our Moon, Phobos and Deimos do not look at all representative - the diameter of Phobos at its widest part is 27 km, and Deimos is 15 km. Both satellites have an irregular shape because their gravity is too weak to “squeeze” themselves into a ball, giving them a spherical shape.

The composition of both satellites of Mars is the same - rock mixed with ice. Although both of them have traces of meteorite impacts on their surfaces, the surface of Phobos is much more heterogeneous, covered with a network of cracks, in addition, it also contains a large crater about 10 km wide, or almost half the width of the satellite itself.

Like our Moon, the Martian satellites always face the same side towards it.

It remains unclear where Phobos and Deimos came from, but most likely, before being reclassified as the moons of Mars, both satellites were ordinary asteroids captured by the gravity of the red planet. Be that as it may, both Martian moons are a temporary phenomenon in the sky of the red planet. At least, this is true for Phobos, which is getting closer and closer to Mars with each orbit, covering a “ridiculous” distance of 1.8 meters in a year. However, in 50 million years, if things continue at the same pace, Phobos will either crash into Mars or break up into small fragments that will form a ring around the planet.

The satellites of Mars are Phobos and Deimos. Ordinary pieces of stone that bear little resemblance to our Moon

Mars exploration and exploration

The first person to initiate the “instrumental” study of Mars was Galileo Galilei, who observed the planet through a telescope in 1609. For the next three and a half centuries, the telescope became the main (and only) study of Mars, with its help a lot of discoveries were made, but... it’s better to touch once with robotic manipulators than to see, right? The “real” study of Mars began only when humanity was able to send automatic research stations to it, in the second half of the 20th century.

Successful missions to explore Mars

The first “space robot” that laid the foundation for the study of Mars were automatically interplanetary stations Mariner-4(USA, 1964), Mariner-6 And 7 (USA, 1969). In principle, the very first flights showed the picture as it is - the red planet turned out to be a barren world, without any signs of life on the surface. Soviet space stations Mars-2(USSR, 1971) and Mars-3(USSR, 1971) confirmed the same truth, but made almost no further progress - both stations ended up in the very heart of Martian dust storms and the task of drawing up the first map of the Martian surface was not completed.

In 1973 Mariner-9(USA) entered Mars orbit, after which he managed to map about 80% of the planet’s surface, as well as discover the largest Martian volcanoes and canyons, the most extensive of which was named after the family of American research vehicles - Valles Marineris.

Descent vehicle Viking-1(USA, 1976) was the first man-made vehicle to successfully land on the surface of Mars. He transmitted the first photographs of the surface of Mars to earth, but did not find any evidence of the existence of life on this planet. His twin brother Viking-2 also landed successfully the same year, conducted numerous soil tests, but also found no signs of life.

The next two ships to successfully reach the surface of Mars were “Mars Pathfinder”(Mars Pathfinder, “Mars Pathfinder”, 1996), and Mars Global Surveyor(Mars Global Surveyor, 1996). At the same time, the Mars Pathfinder mission included a small wheeled rover. Sojourner” (Sojourner, “Alien (or rather “Liver” :))”) - the first Mars rover to successfully complete a mission to analyze soils on another planet.

In 2001 he went to Mars “Mars Odysseus”(Mars Odyssey, USA), which discovered large amounts of water ice under the surface of Mars, at a depth of over one meter below the surface.

In 2003, NASA launched two rovers of the same type to Mars at once: “ Spirit” (Spirit, “Spirit”) and “ Opportunity” (Opportunity, “Opportunity”), which successfully landed in different areas of the red planet and in both areas found clear signs that water actually once flowed on the surface of Mars.

In 2008, NASA, as part of the Mars Scout mission, sent a lander to Mars. Phoenix” (Phoenix), who landed on the northern plains of the planet and searched for water.

In 2011, NASA sent a fourth rover to Mars, known as Curiosity“(Mars Curiosity, “Curiosity”).” Of all the rovers on Mars, this was the most advanced and largest (weight on earth 899 kg, on Mars 340 kg). This rover, in fact, an entire mobile automated laboratory, conducted a huge range of analyzes of the soil and atmosphere of the red planet and gave scientists a lot of information about the present and past of Mars. Having begun work in 2012, as of 2017, Curiosity still retains some functionality and continues its mission.

In 2014, a spacecraft entered Mars orbit MAVEN(Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN - “Evolution of the atmosphere and volatiles on Mars”) is the second part of the Mars Scout project, which made it possible to more accurately determine the reasons for the loss of most of its atmosphere by Mars. Also in 2014, an Indian satellite reached Mars orbit.” Mangalyan” delivered to the target using a Russian missile.

The Opportunity rover is seen in a typical Martian landscape. The artist really overdid it and got carried away, since most of the surface of Mars is covered not with mountains, but with almost flat plains strewn with stones.

Planned missions to Mars

• “Insight” (InSight, NASA, 2018) - a dual mission from the lander and orbital station who will study the interior of Mars.
• “Mars 2020” (Mars 2020 Rover Mission, NASA, 2020) - the “receiver” of the “Curiosity” rover, which will replace the old man at the post.

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the last of the terrestrial planets.

The planet got its name due to its bright red color. IN Ancient Greece and in Rome, the color red was associated with blood and war, so the name was given in honor of the god of war - Mars.
Upon closer inspection, the surface color of Mars is more orange than red. This shade occurs due to the high content of iron oxide. Scientists suggest that contact with oxygen led to the oxidation of iron, and strong dust storms over time spread rusty particles across the entire surface.

With all this, Mars is the second smallest planet in the solar system after Mercury.

Sizes of the Earth, Mars and Moon

Main characteristics

Structure of Mars

Structure of Mars

Scientists can only guess what the structure of Mars is based on data from orbiters, meteorite studies and experience studying other planets. There is reason to believe that Mars, like the Earth, has a three-layer structure:

• Core. Most likely, most of the core is iron, sulfur and nickel. Knowledge about the density of the planet and the strength of the magnetic field allows us to think that the core of Mars is solid and significantly smaller than the Earth’s, approximately 2000 km.
• Mantle its composition is similar to that of the Earth. It may contain radioactive elements such as uranium, thorium and potassium. Their decay heats the mantle up to 1500°.
• Bark Mars is heterogeneous in thickness: the layer increases from the northern hemisphere to the southern. It mainly consists of volcanic basalt.

Surface

Thanks to robotic devices sent to Mars, it was possible to compile it detailed map. As it turns out, the surface of Mars is very similar to that of Earth. There are plains and mountains, crevices and volcanoes.

Plains.

Most of Mars, and especially its northern hemisphere, is covered by desert, low-lying plains. One of them is considered the largest lowland in area in the entire solar system, and its relative smoothness may be a consequence of the presence of water here in the distant past.

Canyons.

A whole network of canyons covers the surface of Mars. They are concentrated mainly at the equator. These canyons received their name – Valles Marineris – in honor of the space station of the same name, which recorded them in 1971. The length of the valley is comparable to the length of Australia and covers approximately 4000 km, and sometimes goes 10 km deep.

Volcanoes.

There are many volcanoes on Mars, including The largest volcano in the solar system is Olympus. Its height reaches 27 km, which is 3 times the height of Everest.

Olympus volcano on Mars

To date, not a single active volcano has been discovered, but the presence of volcanic rocks and ash indicate their former activity.

River basins.

On the surface of the plains of Mars, scientists have discovered depressions similar to traces of rivers that flowed here. It is possible that previously the temperature here was much higher, which allowed water to exist in liquid form.

Water

Until the middle of the last century, scientists believed that liquid water could be found on Mars, and this gave reason to say that life exists on the red planet. This theory was based on the fact that light and dark areas were clearly visible on the planet, which were very reminiscent of seas and continents, and long dark lines on the map of the planet resembled river valleys. But, after the first flight to Mars, it became obvious that water, due to too low atmospheric pressure, could not be found in a liquid state on seventy percent of the planet.

River beds on Mars

It is suggested that it did exist: this fact is evidenced by the found microscopic particles of the mineral hematite and other minerals, which are usually formed only in sedimentary rocks and were clearly susceptible to the influence of water.

Also, many scientists are convinced that dark stripes on mountain heights are traces of the presence of liquid salt water at the present time: water flows appear at the end of summer and disappear at the beginning of winter. The fact that this is water is evidenced by the fact that the stripes do not go over the obstacles, but seem to flow around them, sometimes diverging and then merging again (they are very clearly visible on the map of the planet). Some features of the relief indicate that the river beds shifted during the gradual rise of the surface and continued to flow in a direction convenient for them.

Another interesting fact indicating the presence of water in the atmosphere is thick clouds, the appearance of which is associated with the fact that the uneven topography of the planet directs air masses upward, where they cool, and the water vapor contained in them condenses into ice crystals.

Moons of Mars

Two of its moons revolve near Mars: Phobos And Deimos. In 1877, they were discovered by Asaph Hall, who named them after characters from Greek mythology. These are the sons of the god of war Ares: Phobos - fear, A Deimos - horror. Martian satellites are shown in the photo.

The diameter of Phobos is 22 km, and the distance is 9234.42 – 9517.58 km. It takes 7 hours for an orbital passage and this time is gradually decreasing. Researchers believe that in 10-50 million years the satellite will crash into Mars or will be destroyed by the planet’s gravity and form a ring structure.

Deimos has a diameter of 12 km and rotates at a distance of 23455.5 – 23470.9 km. The orbital route takes 1.26 days. Mars may also have additional moons with a width of 50-100 m, and a dust ring can form between two large ones.

It is believed that previously the satellites of Mars were ordinary asteroids that succumbed to planetary gravity. But they exhibit circular orbits, which is unusual for captured bodies. They could also have formed from material torn from the planet at the beginning of creation. But then their composition should have resembled that of a planet. A strong impact could also occur, repeating the scenario with our Moon.

Atmosphere and temperature of the planet Mars

The Red Planet has a thin atmospheric layer, which is represented by carbon dioxide (96%), argon (1.93%), nitrogen (1.89%) and admixtures of oxygen and water. It contains a lot of dust, the size of which reaches 1.5 micrometers. Pressure – 0.4-0.87 kPa.

The long distance from the Sun to the planet and the thin atmosphere mean that Mars has a low temperature. It fluctuates between -46°C to -143°C in winter and can warm up to 35°C in summer at the poles and at midday at the equatorial line.

There are suggestions that in the past the atmosphere could have been denser, and the climate warm and humid, and there was liquid water and rain on the surface of Mars. The proof of this hypothesis is the analysis of the meteorite ALH 84001, which showed that about 4 billion years ago the temperature of Mars was 18 ± 4 °C.

Mars is characterized by the activity of dust storms that can simulate mini-tornadoes. They form due to solar heating, where warmer air currents rise and form storms that extend for thousands of kilometers.

When analyzed, traces of methane with a concentration of 30 parts per million were also found in the atmosphere. This means that he was released from specific territories. Research shows that the planet is capable of creating up to 270 tons of methane per year. It reaches the atmospheric layer and persists for 0.6-4 years until complete destruction. Even a small presence indicates that a gas source is hidden on the planet.

Speculations included hints at volcanic activity, comet impacts, or the presence of microorganisms beneath the surface. Methane can also be created in a non-biological process - serpentinization. It contains water, carbon dioxide and the mineral olivine.

In 2012, we carried out several calculations on methane using the Curiosity rover. If the first analysis showed a certain amount of methane in the atmosphere, then the second showed 0. But in 2014, the rover encountered a 10-fold spike, which indicates a localized release.

The satellites also detected the presence of ammonia, but its decomposition period is much shorter. Possible source: volcanic activity.

Brief history of the study

For the first time, humanity began to observe Mars not through telescopes. Even the ancient Egyptians noticed the Red Planet as a wandering object, which is confirmed by ancient written sources. The Egyptians were the first to calculate the trajectory of Mars relative to the earth.

Then the astronomers of the Babylonian kingdom took over the baton. Scientists from Babylon were able to more accurately determine the location of the planet and measure the time of its movement. Next were the Greeks. They managed to create an accurate geocentric model and, with its help, understand the movement of the planets. Then scientists in Persia and India were able to estimate the size of the Red Planet and its distance to Earth.

European astronomers made a huge breakthrough. Johannes Kepler, using Nikolai Kaepernick's model as a basis, was able to calculate the elliptical orbit of Mars, and Christiaan Huygens created the first map of its surface and noticed an ice cap at the planet's north pole.

The advent of telescopes marked a heyday in the study of Mars. Slipher, Barnard, Vaucouleurs and many other astronomers became the greatest explorers of Mars before man entered space.

Human space exploration has made it possible to study the Red Planet more accurately and in detail. In the mid-20th century, with the help of interplanetary stations, precise images of the surface were taken, and ultra-powerful infrared and ultraviolet telescopes made it possible to measure the composition of the planet’s atmosphere and the speed of winds on it.

Subsequently, more and more accurate studies of Mars followed from the USSR, the USA, and then other countries.

The study of Mars continues to this day, and the data obtained only fuels interest in its study.

Is there life on Mars?

There is still no clear answer to this question. There is now scientific evidence that supports both theories.

• The presence of sufficient nutrients in the planet's soil.
• There is a large amount of methane on Mars, the source of which is unknown.
• Presence of water vapor in the soil layer.

Against:

• Instant evaporation of water from the surface of the planet.
• Vulnerable to Solar Wind bombardment.
• The water on Mars is too salty and alkaline and unsuitable for life.
• Intense ultraviolet radiation.

Thus, scientists cannot give an accurate answer, since the amount of necessary data is too small.

In culture

Writers were encouraged to create science fiction works about Mars by the beginnings of late XIX centuries of discussion among scientists about the possibility that not just life, but an advanced civilization exists on the surface of Mars. At this time, for example, the famous novel was created G. Wells "War of the Worlds", in which the Martians tried to leave their dying planet to conquer Earth.

In 1938, in the United States, a radio news version of this work caused mass panic when many listeners mistakenly accepted this “report” as the truth.

In 1966, writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky wrote a satirical “continuation” of this work called “The Second Invasion of the Martians.”

Still from the film “The Martian” 2015

Among the important works about Mars, it is also worth noting the novel published in 1950 Ray Bradbury "The Martian Chronicles", consisting of separate loosely connected short stories, as well as a number of stories adjacent to this cycle; The novel tells about the stages of human exploration of Mars and contacts with the dying ancient Martian civilization.

It is noteworthy that Jonathan Swift mentioned the moons of Mars 150 years before they were actually discovered, in the 19th part of his novel "Gulliver's Travels" .

Also in cinematography, the theme of Mars is widely explored, both in feature films and documentaries.

In creativity David Bowie Mars is periodically mentioned in the early 1970s. So, the group with which he performs at this time is called Spiders From Mars, and on the Hunky Dory album there is a song called “Life on Mars?”.

Mars was also widely represented in the culture of ancient times.

• The mass of Mars is 10 times less than the mass of Earth.
• The first person to see Mars through a telescope was Galileo Galilei.
• Scientists have discovered particles of Martian soil on Earth that allowed them to explore the Red Planet even before space flights began. These particles were literally “knocked out” of Mars by meteorites that crashed into the planet. Then, after millions of years, they fell to Earth.
• The Babylonians called the planet "Nergal" (in honor of their deity of evil).
• In ancient India, Mars was called "Mangala" (the Indian god of war).
• In culture, Mars has become the most popular planet in the solar system.
• The daily dose of radiation on Mars is equal to the annual dose on Earth.
• In 1997, three Yemenis sued over NASA's invasion of Mars. They claimed that they had inherited this planet from their ancestors thousands of years ago.
• More than 100,000 people have applied for a one-way trip and want to become the first colonizers of the Red Planet in 2022 (Mars One expedition). The current population of Mars is seven robots.

When will humans be on Mars?

Mars is the next goal of humanity, after the flight to the Moon. For several years now, future missions and the prospect of creating a colony have been discussed. But this task seems even more difficult, so a clear plan is needed. Will he be able to Human turn out to be on Mars?

The concept of the first crew mission was developed by Wernher von Braun. He was a former Nazi scientist and the head of NASA's Mercury Project. In 1952, he proposed creating 10 devices (7 people each) that could deliver 70 people to the Red Planet.

But what is important is not the flight itself, but the organization of people living on Mars. In 1990, Robert Zubrin proposed his Mars Direct project, which focused on colonization. The first missions were to build a site for the future settlement. Later it would be possible to go underground and develop the habitat there.

In 1993, the Mars Design Reference plan from NASA appeared, which was edited 5 times until 2009. But the project never went beyond calculations and conversations.

Modern ideas

Since 2004, American presidents have voiced their desire to conquer Mars. In 2015, a detailed plan was formed, where delivery was based on the use of the Orion spacecraft and the SLS launch system. The project is based on 3 stages and 32 launches in 2018-2030s. During this time, it will be possible to transport the necessary equipment and arrange a preparatory site. Orion and SLS must be tested by 2024.

NASA also plans to catch a nearby asteroid and drag it into lunar orbit to test new equipment. This is an important mission that will help not only protect the Earth from the fall of a dangerous space rock, but also use them to transform the planets (creating a favorable environment for humans - terraforming Mars).

The first crew flight on Orion should take place in 2021-2023. At the second stage, a series of equipment deliveries to the Red Planet will begin. The third stage includes creating the necessary protective environment and checking all necessary devices.

But it’s not just NASA that has plans for Mars. ESA is also interested in exploring and colonizing alien worlds. Aurora program expects in the 2030s. send people on an Ariane-M rocket. In 2040-2060s. Roscosmos may visit the Red Planet. Back in 2011, Russia ran successful simulations of the mission. China has set the same deadlines for itself. One day we may come to the conclusion that people live on Mars.

In 2012, Dutch entrepreneurs announced that they were going to create a human base on Mars in 2023, which would later expand into a colony.

The MarsOne mission plans to deploy a telecommunications orbital device in 2018, a rover in 2020, and a settler base in 2023. She will feed on solar panels with a length of 3000 m2. 4 astronauts will be delivered on a Falcon-9 rocket in 2025, where they will spend 2 years.

Mars colony project Mars one

He does not hide his zeal for Mars and CEO SpaceX Elon Musk. He plans to create a colony of 80,000 people. And this is only a small part of how many people can live on Mars. To do this, he needs a special transportation system that would operate in conveyor mode. He has already succeeded in creating a system reuse rockets.

In 2016, Musk announced that the first unmanned flight would take place in 2022, and a crewed flight in 2024. He believes that everything will require 10 billion dollars and it will be possible to launch 100 passengers. These would be tourist trips departing every 26 months (the window when Earth and Mars are at their closest proximity).

The first missions may require sacrifice. But many have already expressed a desire to go one way. When will we see the first people on Mars? There is no exact date, but evidence suggests that this will happen in the coming decades.

Mars- the fourth most distant planet from the Sun and the seventh largest planet in the solar system. This planet is named after Mars, the ancient Roman god of war, corresponding to the ancient Greek Ares. Mars is sometimes called the “Red Planet” because of the reddish hue of its surface given by iron(III) oxide.

Basic information

Due to low pressure, water cannot exist in a liquid state on the surface of Mars, but it is likely that conditions were different in the past, and therefore the presence of primitive life on the planet cannot be ruled out. On July 31, 2008, ice water was discovered on Mars by NASA's Phoenix spacecraft. "Phoenix") .

Currently (February 2009), the orbital exploration constellation in orbit around Mars has three operational spacecraft: Mars Odyssey, Mars Express and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and this is more than around any other planet except Earth. The surface of Mars is currently being explored by two rovers: Spirit And Opportunity. There are also several inactive landers and rovers on the surface of Mars that have completed their missions. Geological data collected by all of these missions suggests that much of the surface of Mars was previously covered by water. Observations over the past decade have revealed weak geyser activity in some places on the surface of Mars. Based on observations from NASA spacecraft "Mars Global Surveyor", some parts of Mars' southern polar cap are gradually retreating.

Mars has two natural satellites, Phobos and Deimos (translated from ancient Greek as “fear” and “terror” - the names of the two sons of Ares who accompanied him in battle), which are relatively small and irregular in shape. They may be asteroids captured by the gravitational field of Mars, similar to asteroid 5261 Eureka from the Trojan group.

Mars can be seen from Earth with the naked eye. Its apparent magnitude reaches −2.91 m (at its closest approach to the Earth), second in brightness only to Jupiter, Venus, the Moon and the Sun.

Orbital characteristics

The minimum distance from Mars to Earth is 55.75 million km, the maximum is about 401 million km. The average distance from Mars to the Sun is 228 million. km (1.52 AU), the period of revolution around the Sun is 687 Earth days. The orbit of Mars has a fairly noticeable eccentricity (0.0934), so the distance to the Sun varies from 206.6 to 249.2 million km. The inclination of Mars' orbit is 1.85°.

The atmosphere consists of 95% carbon dioxide; it also contains 2.7% nitrogen, 1.6% argon, 0.13% oxygen, 0.1% water vapor, 0.07% carbon monoxide. The Martian ionosphere extends from 110 to 130 km above the planet's surface.

Based on observations from Earth and data from the Mars Express spacecraft, methane was discovered in the atmosphere of Mars. Under Mars conditions, this gas decomposes quite quickly, so there must be a constant source of replenishment. Such a source could be either geological activity (but no active volcanoes have been found on Mars) or the activity of bacteria.

The climate, like on Earth, is seasonal. During the cold season, even outside the polar caps, light frost can form on the surface. The Phoenix apparatus recorded snowfall, but the snowflakes evaporated before reaching the surface.

According to researchers from the Carl Sagan Center, Mars is currently undergoing a warming process. Other experts believe that it is too early to draw such conclusions.

Surface

Description of the main regions

Topographic map of Mars

Two-thirds of the surface of Mars is occupied by light areas called continents, about a third are dark areas called seas. The seas are concentrated mainly in the southern hemisphere of the planet, between 10 and 40° latitude. There are only two large seas in the northern hemisphere - Acidalia and Greater Syrtis.

The nature of the dark areas is still a matter of debate. They persist despite dust storms raging on Mars. This at one time served as an argument in favor of the fact that the dark areas are covered with vegetation. Now it is believed that these are simply areas from which, due to their topography, dust is easily blown away. Large-scale images show that the dark areas actually consist of groups of dark streaks and spots associated with craters, hills and other obstacles in the path of winds. Seasonal and long-term changes in their size and shape are apparently associated with a change in the ratio of surface areas covered with light and dark matter.

The hemispheres of Mars differ quite greatly in the nature of their surface. In the southern hemisphere, the surface is 1-2 km above average and is densely dotted with craters. This part of Mars resembles the lunar continents. In the north, the surface is mostly below average, there are few craters, and the bulk is occupied by relatively smooth plains, probably formed by lava flooding and erosion. This hemispheric difference remains a matter of debate. The boundary between the hemispheres follows approximately a great circle inclined 30° to the equator. The boundary is wide and irregular and forms a slope towards the north. Along it are the most eroded areas of the Martian surface.

Two alternative hypotheses have been put forward to explain hemispheric asymmetry. According to one of them, at an early geological stage, lithospheric plates “moved together” (perhaps accidentally) into one hemisphere (like the continent of Pangea on Earth) and then “froze” in this position. Another hypothesis suggests a collision of Mars with a cosmic body the size of Pluto.

The large number of craters in the southern hemisphere suggests that the surface here is ancient - 3-4 billion years ago. years. Several types of craters can be distinguished: large craters with a flat bottom, smaller and younger bowl-shaped craters similar to the Moon, craters surrounded by ridges, and elevated craters. The last two types are unique to Mars - rimmed craters formed where liquid ejecta flowed across the surface, and raised craters formed where a blanket of crater ejecta protected the surface from wind erosion. The largest feature of impact origin is the Hellas Basin (approximately 2100 km across).

In the area of ​​chaotic landscape near the hemispheric boundary, the surface experienced large areas of fracture and compression, sometimes followed by erosion (due to landslides or catastrophic release of groundwater), as well as flooding by liquid lava. Chaotic landscapes often lie at the head of large channels cut by water. The most acceptable hypothesis for their joint formation is the sudden melting of subsurface ice.

In the northern hemisphere, in addition to vast volcanic plains, there are two areas of large volcanoes - Tharsis and Elysium. Tharsis is a vast volcanic plain 2000 km long, reaching an altitude of 10 km above average. It contains three large shield volcanoes - Arsia, Pavonis (Peacock) and Askreus. On the edge of Tharsis is Mount Olympus, the highest on Mars and in the Solar System. Olympus reaches 27 km in height, and covers an area 550 km in diameter, surrounded by cliffs that in some places reach 7 km in height. The volume of Olympus is 10 times greater than the volume of the largest volcano on Earth, Mauna Kea. There are also several smaller volcanoes located here. Elysium is an elevation up to six kilometers above the average level, with three volcanoes - Hecate, Elysium and Albor.

"River" beds and other features

There is also a significant amount of water ice in the ground at the landing site.

Geology and internal structure

Unlike Earth, there is no movement of lithospheric plates on Mars. As a result, volcanoes can exist for a much longer time and reach gigantic sizes.

Phobos (top) and Deimos (bottom)

Current models of the internal structure of Mars suggest that Mars consists of a crust with an average thickness of 50 km (and a maximum thickness of up to 130 km), a silicate mantle with a thickness of 1800 km and a core with a radius of 1480 km. The density in the center of the planet should reach 8.5 /cm³. The core is partially liquid and consists mainly of iron with an admixture of 14-17% (by mass) sulfur, and the content of light elements is twice as high as in the Earth's core.

Moons of Mars

The natural satellites of Mars are Phobos and Deimos. Both of them were discovered by American astronomer Asaph Hall in 1877. Phobos and Deimos are irregular in shape and very small in size. According to one hypothesis, they may represent asteroids like 5261 Eureka from the Trojan group of asteroids captured by the gravitational field of Mars.

Astronomy on Mars

This section is a translation of the English Wikipedia article

After the landing of automatic vehicles on the surface of Mars, it became possible to conduct astronomical observations directly from the surface of the planet. Due to the astronomical position of Mars in the solar system, the characteristics of the atmosphere, the orbital period of Mars and its satellites, the picture of the night sky of Mars (and astronomical phenomena observed from the planet) differs from that on Earth and in many ways appears unusual and interesting.

Noon on Mars. Photo of the Pathfinder

Sunset on Mars. Photo of the Pathfinder

On a surface There are two rovers operating on the planet:

Planned missions

In culture

• A. Bogdanov “Red Star”
• A. Kazantsev “Phaetians”
• A. Shalimov “The Price of Immortality”
• V. Mikhailov “Special need”
• V. Shitik “The Last Orbit”
• B. Lyapunov “We ​​are on Mars”
• G. Martynov “Starfarers” trilogy
• G. Wells “War of the Worlds”, a film of the same name in two film adaptations
• Simmons, Dan "Hyperion", tetralogy
• Stanislav Lem "Ananke"

• "Journey to Mars" USA, 1903
• "Journey to Mars" USA, 1910
• "Sky Ship" Denmark, 1917
• "Journey to Mars" Denmark, 1920
• "Journey to Mars" Italy, 1920
• "The Ship Sent to Mars" USA, 1921
• “Aelita” directed by Yakov Protazanov, USSR, 1924.
• "Journey to Mars" USA, 1924
• "To Mars" USA, 1930
• "Flash Gordon: Mars Attacks Earth" USA, 1938
• "Scrappy's Journey to Mars" USA, 1938
• "Rocket X-M" USA, 1950
• “Flight to Mars” USA, 1951
• “The Sky is Calling” directed by A. Kozyr and M. Karyukov, USSR, 1959.
• “Mars” documentary, director Pavel Klushantsev, USSR, 1968.
• “First on Mars. The unsung song of Sergei Korolev” documentary, 2007
• "Martian Odyssey"

• In the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000, Mars is the capital world of the Adeptus Mechanicus organization, which supports the scientific and technological thought of the Imperium of Man.
• In the video game DOOM 3, the setting is the Red Planet.
• In the video game Red Faction 1.3, the setting is also the Red Planet.
• In the Mass Effect universe, a database of long-vanished aliens was found on the south pole of Mars, the decryption of which allowed people to enter the Galaxy.

Within our native solar system there are a wide variety of cosmic bodies. We call them planets, but each of them has its own, unique properties. Thus, the first four, located closest to the star, are included in the category of “terrestrial planets”. They have a core, a mantle, a solid surface and an atmosphere. The next four are gas giants, having only a core covered with a wide variety of gases. But on our agenda we have Mars and Earth. Comparing these two planets will be fun and exciting, especially since they are both terrestrial planets.

Introduction

Astronomers of the past, after discovering Mars, believed that this planet was the closest relative of the Earth. The first comparisons of Mars and Earth are associated with the system of canals seen through a telescope, which surrounded the red planet. Many were sure that there was water there and, as a result, organic life. It is likely that millions of years ago this object within the solar system had conditions similar to those on Earth today. However, it has now been more than precisely established that Mars is a red desert. Nevertheless, comparisons between Earth and Mars are a favorite topic of astronomers to this day. By studying the structural features and rotation of our closest neighbor, they believe that this planet will soon be able to be colonized. But there are nuances that so far prevent humanity from taking this step. We learn about what they are and what they are by drawing an analogy on all points between our native Earth and the mysterious neighboring Mars.

Weight, size

These indicators are the most important, so we will start with Mars and Earth. Even in children's books on astronomy, we all noticed that the red planet is slightly smaller than ours, about one and a half times. Let's look at this difference in specific numbers.

• The average radius of the Earth is 6371 km, and for Mars this figure is 3396 km.
• The volume of our home planet is 1.08321 x 10 12 km 3, while the Martian volume is equal to 1.6318 × 10¹¹ km³, that is, it is 0.151 of the Earth’s volume.

The mass of Mars is also smaller compared to Earth, and this indicator is radically different from the previous one. The Earth weighs 5.97 x 10 24 kg, and the red planet is content with only 15 percent of this figure, namely 6.4185 x 10 23 kg.

Orbital features

From the same children's astronomy textbooks, we know that Mars, due to the fact that it is more distant from the Sun than the Earth, is forced to walk in a larger orbit. It is about twice as large as Earth’s, in fact, and the year on the red planet is twice as long. From this we can conclude that this cosmic body rotates at a speed comparable to the Earth. But it is important to know this data in exact numbers. The distance of the Earth from the Sun is 149,598,261 km, but Mars is located at a distance of 249,200,000,000 km from our star, which is almost twice as much. The orbital year in the kingdom of dusty and red desert is 687 days (we remember that on earth the year lasts 365 days).

It is important to note that the sidereal rotation of the two planets is almost the same. A day on Earth is 23 hours and 56 minutes, and on Mars it is 24 hours and 40 minutes. Axial tilt cannot be ignored. For Earth, the characteristic indicator is 23 degrees, and for Mars - 25.19 degrees. It is likely that there may be seasonality on the planet.

Composition and structure

A comparison of Mars and Earth would be incomplete if the structure and density of these two planets is ignored. Their structure is identical, since both belong to the terrestrial group. At the very center is the core. In Earth it consists of nickel and metal, and the radius of its sphere is 3500 km. The Martian core has the same composition, but its spherical radius is 1800 km. Then both planets have a silicate mantle, followed by a dense crust. But the Earth's crust differs from the Martian crust in the presence of a unique element - granite, which is not present anywhere else in space. It is important to note that the depth is on average 40 km, while the Martian crust reaches a depth of up to 125 km. The average is 5.514 grams per cubic meter, and Mars is 3.93 grams per cubic meter.

Temperature and atmosphere

At this point we are faced with fundamental differences between the two neighboring planets. The thing is that in the solar system, only one Earth is equipped with a very dense air shell, which maintains a unique microclimate on the planet. So, a comparison of the atmosphere of Earth and Mars should begin with the fact that in the first the air layer has a complex, five-stage structure. We all learned in school terms like stratosphere, exosphere, etc. The Earth's atmosphere consists of 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen. On Mars, there is only one layer, very thin, which consists of 96 percent carbon dioxide, 1.93% argon and 1.89% nitrogen.

This also caused the difference in temperature. On the ground average equal to +14 degrees. It rises to a maximum of +70 degrees, and drops to -89.2. It's much cooler on Mars. The average temperature is -46 degrees, while the minimum is 146 below zero, and the maximum is 35 with a + mark.

Gravity

This word contains the whole essence of our existence on the blue planet. It is the only one in the solar system that can provide a force of gravity acceptable for the life of people, animals and plants. We mistakenly believed that there is no gravity on other planets, but it is worth saying that there is gravity there, just not as strong as ours. The gravity on Mars is almost three times less than on Earth. If we have such an indicator as G - that is, the acceleration of gravity is equal to 9.8 m/s squared, then on the red desert planet it is equal to 3.711 m/s squared. Yes, you can walk on Mars, but, alas, you won’t be able to walk on Mars without a special suit with loads.

Satellites

The only satellite of the Earth is the Moon. It not only accompanies our planet on its mysterious cosmic path, but is also responsible for many natural processes in life, for example, tides. The Moon is also the most studied cosmic body at the moment, since it is closest to us. Escorts of Mars - The satellites were discovered in 1877 and named after the sons of the god of war Ares (translated as “fear” and “horror”). It is most likely that they were pulled by the red planet's gravity from the asteroid ring, since their composition is identical to all other rocks orbiting between Mars and Jupiter.

The planet Mars has always aroused great interest among earthlings. Even the name was given to it in ancient times in honor of the ancient Roman god of war, Mars, who ancient greek mythology was called Ares - for its red color, the color of blood. In the future, interest did not fade away, and with the development of astronomy, this planet only threw up mysteries and sensations. It was even feared as the homeland of a hostile civilization that would one day enslave us all.

• 1- Valles Marineris is the largest canyon in the solar system.
• 2 and 3 - North and South polar caps.

Now that many research stations have been delivered to Mars, and many artificial satellites are circling in its orbit, the planet continues to be of interest not only to scientists. Even people far from astronomy and scientific research, read with interest about plans for the colonization of the Red Planet. Many science fiction books and films are dedicated to her, for example, the popular film “The Martian,” based on the book by Andy Weir, which became a bestseller.

Let's figure out what this planet is like, our neighbor, which is of such great interest to everyone without exception.

Mars is not just our neighbor. It is also the most Earth-like planet. But everything in the world is relative and this similarity manifests itself only in general outline. In details, Mars can surprise - after all, it is a completely different world, with its own history.

Let's give some Interesting Facts about Mars, which will certainly interest you and make you want to know more about this planet.

• Just like on Earth, Mars has mountains and volcanoes. But on this small planet there is also the largest volcano in the solar system - Olympus. Its height reaches 26 km, and its diameter is 540 km. The height of the cliffs on the edges of Olympus is 7 km. The largest volcano on Earth is located on Hawaiian Islands and is called Mauna Kea, its height from base to top is only 10.2 km.

Olympus Volcano is the largest volcano in the solar system.

• Mars is one of the five planets that can be seen with the naked eye. These also include, and.
• The average temperature on Mars is -63 degrees. At the same time, on a good day at the equator it reaches a quite comfortable +20 degrees or even more, but at night it can drop to not so pleasant frosts, comparable only to those in Yakutia. At the poles temperatures reach -153 degrees.
• When a competition was announced to sign up volunteers who wanted to become the first colonists on Mars as part of the Mars One expedition, more than 100 thousand people applied. And this despite the fact that the flight was supposed to be one way, without returning to Earth.
• The gravity on Mars is 60% less than on Earth. If you weigh 100 kg, then on Mars you will weigh 40 kg.
• The composition of Martian soil is quite suitable for growing various plants, for example, turnips and asparagus. It has much in common with the earth and contains all the necessary microelements. It's just poor in water.
• 4 billion years ago, the planet Mars was shrouded in a dense atmosphere rich in oxygen. Scientists believe that seas and rivers also existed then.

• The Martian sunset has Blue colour, and not red, as on Earth.

• Planet Mars looks red due to large quantity iron oxide, which we usually see as rust.
• Although the planet Mars is half the size of Earth, they have approximately the same land area. It’s just that on Mars the land is the entire planet, but on Earth the oceans take up a lot of space.
• The planet Mars boasts the largest dust storms in the solar system. They can last several months and cover the entire planet.
• Samples of Martian soil were obtained and studied by scientists even before space flights. The meteorite found on Earth was of Martian origin, thrown from the planet by a powerful impact of a large meteorite.
• Mars is the only planet in the solar system, other than Earth, that has polar caps. Moreover, they are real, of considerable size, and they contain water ice.
• In 1997, a curious incident occurred - three Yemenis sued NASA, accusing them of invading Mars. According to them, this planet was inherited from their ancestors thousands of years ago.

The planet Mars is the most explored of all others in the solar system. But there is a lot of surprising stuff there, and some things raise questions among scientists.

Planet Mars in the solar system

Planet Mars is the fourth in the solar system, its orbit is next after the Earth. It is not strictly circular, but slightly elongated, has an eccentricity of 0.0934, so the distance to the Sun varies from 206.6 to 249.2 million kilometers. On average it is 228 million kilometers.

A Martian year is equal to 687 of our days, and a Martian day is equal to 24 hours 39 minutes in Earth time. That is, the Martian days are almost the same in duration as the terrestrial ones. They are called sols. Sol 1 is 1 Martian day.

As it moves around the Sun, the planet Mars sometimes finds itself in line with the Earth. If they are on the same side of the Sun, then this is called opposition - the distance between the planets is minimal. This is a good time to study the planet and fly to it. This happens once every 26 months.

Sometimes it coincides that opposition occurs when Mars is at the point of its orbit closest to the Sun - such a coincidence happens once every 15-17 years, and then the distance to it becomes the smallest of all possible - less than 60 million kilometers. This is called the Great Controversy, and the last one was as recently as July 27, 2018. The next one will not be until September 15, 2035.

When Earth and Mars are located on opposite sides of the Sun, the distance between them reaches 401 million kilometers.

Mars has a pair of small moons of its own - Phobos and Deimos.

People have long considered the planet Mars as a kind of twin of our Earth. However, Mars is half the size - its diameter is 53.2% of Earth's. But its mass is only 10.7% of Earth’s, and its density is 30% less. Therefore, the gravity there is 3 times less than what we are used to.

The radius at the equator is 3396 km, and at the poles it is less by about 20 km. That is, Mars is slightly flattened, and even more so than the Earth. At the same time, Mars rotates a little slower - the day on it is longer.

Since an oblate shape can occur at high rotation speeds, and Mars is more oblate, this is one of the mysteries. Scientists believe that the Red Planet used to rotate faster, but over time it has slowed down.

Surface of Mars

The area of ​​the entire Martian surface is approximately equal to the area of ​​the entire Earth's landmass. Mars looks like a red star in the sky, which is why it got the name Red Planet. Yes, and in a telescope it is also red, and even in orbital photographs this color predominates. This is explained big amount iron oxide, which is found in a rock called maghemite. Because of it, the entire planet has a “rusty” color.

There are deposits of water ice under the surface - this is a proven fact. And on the surface there are minerals that could only form in water, so Mars was not always dry, water flowed through it, and a lot of it. River beds have been discovered that have been washed away for tens of kilometers. There is evidence that even now, flows of water sometimes appear on Mars when the polar caps melt.

Surface features include many craters from fallen meteorites, large valleys and polar caps. There are many volcanoes on Mars, including Olympus Mons - the largest volcano in the solar system, 27 km high from the base or 25 km from the average level, and with a diameter of 600 km.

If you look at Mars through a powerful telescope, you will notice that 2/3 of its surface is lighter - they are called continents. The remaining third is darker - these areas are called seas. Of course, these seas are just lifeless deserts where there is not a drop of water, but the names stuck.

By the way, despite frequent dust storms on Mars, dark areas never disappear. Previously, it was believed that they have vegetation that is not introduced or is reborn every time. Now it is believed that these are simply features of the relief - there are many craters and hills that become an obstacle to the winds, and on which the sand does not linger.

The seas are mainly located in the southern hemisphere, and in the northern there are only two of them - Acidolian and Greater Sirte. The southern hemisphere is generally very different from the northern. It is more elevated - 1-2 km from the average level, and is rich in craters. But in the northern half, the surface of the planet, on the contrary, is lower and mostly smooth - there are vast plains here. Why they are so different, scientists are still arguing.

According to one theory, the entire flat northern part, which occupies 40% of the surface, may be a crater from the impact of a very large body, the size of Pluto. Then this is the largest crater in the Solar System, measuring 8x10 thousand kilometers. By the way, on the planet Mars there is the largest known crater in the solar system - Hellas, 2300 km in size and 9 km deep.

On the surface of Mars there are many traces of erosion from lava and water flows that once flowed. There are many faults, traces of landslides, flooding with lava or water. There are places with very complex, chaotic terrain, which are called chaos, of which the largest chaos is Aurora, more than 700 km long.

If the southern hemisphere is rich in craters, then the northern is rich in plains and volcanoes. These smooth surfaces may have been largely due to the seas of lava that once spread.

One of the volcanic areas is Tharsis, elevated 10 km above the average level, and extends over 2000 km. There are very large volcanoes on it, and on the edge is the largest Olympus volcano.

Olympus Volcano looks very impressive even from space.

Tharsis is crossed by tectonic faults, and the largest of them is the Valles Marineris, 4000 km long, 600 km wide, and up to 10 km deep. The edges are home to the largest landslides in the solar system, and the valley is the largest known canon.

Valles Marineris is the largest canyon in the solar system.

As you can see, the planet Mars is rich in attractions. There are a lot of interesting things here - the largest canyon with the largest landslides, the largest volcano, the largest crater... Dust storms are also the largest here, but more on them later.

Climate and atmosphere of the planet Mars

Mars is quite cold - the average annual temperature is about -50 degrees Celsius. But this does not mean that this temperature is everywhere. It fluctuates throughout the day, just like on Earth. The equator is the warmest - during the day it gets warmer here up to +20 degrees, and the Spirit rover recorded even +35 degrees.

It is much colder at the pole - up to -153 degrees. In the middle latitudes in the winter it can be -50 degrees at night, and in the summer it’s about 0 degrees during the day. Such frosts are comparable to those on Earth, somewhere in Yakutia, and at the equator it’s even much warmer, so Martian temperatures for earthlings are not so extreme, although not very comfortable. Scientists now believe that Mars has been warming for more than 300 thousand years.

It is believed that before, billions of years ago, Mars had a much denser atmosphere and was much warmer. On its surface then there were real rivers and even seas of ordinary water. The air was humid, and there were even rains similar to those on Earth.

But with the modern Martian atmosphere everything is much sadder. Firstly, it is very sparse. Although its thickness reaches 110 km, the pressure on the surface is 160 times less than that on Earth. But it varies greatly depending on altitude - in deep canyons and valleys, which can reach depths of 10 km from average, it is much higher than average. The deepest place is the Hellas crater, and there the highest atmospheric pressure.

Secondly, the atmosphere of Mars is 95% carbon dioxide, and contains only 2.7% nitrogen and 0.145% oxygen. There is very little water vapor, so the air there is drier than in the driest desert on earth.

Due to the thin and tenuous atmosphere and very weak magnetic field of the planet, the surface is exposed to strong cosmic radiation. In a day or two, a person would receive the same dose of radiation that on Earth he receives in a year.

Polar caps of Mars

If you observe Mars regularly, you will notice how its polar caps change. They either become larger or almost disappear. There, too, there are seasons, and when it is summer in some hemisphere, the cap there melts. The northern polar cap has a permanent part of 1000 km in size, which is always preserved. Their thickness can reach from 1 m to 3.7 km, but mostly only a few meters.

The polar ice caps consist of water ice and carbon dioxide, which evaporates. Geysers erupting to great heights have been discovered on the South Polar Cap. They occur when carbon dioxide ice melts and releases.

North polar cap of Mars. Spiral structure.

As the polar cap begins to melt, features on the planet's surface become darker. Previously, they thought that it was the water spreading and vegetation beginning to grow rapidly. In fact, there is no vegetation there, as well as overflowing rivers. The water ice reserves in the polar caps do not melt; they lie there for millions of years, and their study will make it possible to understand what the climate on Mars was like in the past.

By the way, the pressure of the Martian atmosphere changes throughout the year, since the polar cap consists mainly of frozen carbon dioxide. When the cap melts, the gas escapes into the atmosphere, increasing its pressure. When the temperature drops greatly and a cap begins to form, a large proportion of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere settles into it. The polar cap can contain up to 40% of all atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Dust storms on Mars

Although the atmosphere of the planet Mars is not comparable in density to that of Earth, wind blows there and dust storms occur there, but nothing like ours. They can take over most of the planet. For example, the last dust storm was in the summer of 2018, lasted several months, and prevented the observation of details on the planet during the Great Opposition on July 27.

The wind blowing on Mars can reach speeds of up to 100 m/s. It picks up huge amounts of dust and sand and transports them over vast distances. Because of such storms, the entire disk of the planet becomes blurred, and no details are visible on it. They can last for months.

Dust devils similar to those on Earth also occur on Mars. But they are much larger and higher, tens of times.

Geology of the planet Mars

The surface layer of the planet Mars mainly consists of silica with admixtures of iron oxides, which give a reddish color. There are impurities of other elements, and the pH is close to that of Earth. In general, the soil, according to research, is not very different from the earth, and plants could theoretically grow in it. Water ice is suspected to be present below the surface.

The crust of Mars is 50-125 km thick, beneath it there is a silicate mantle, which is solid, unlike the earth's. At the center of the planet is a core consisting of iron, nickel and sulfur. It is molten, but does not rotate relative to the crust, and therefore does not generate a magnetic field -= it is 500 times weaker than the earth’s, and even that arises due to the magnetized regions of the planetary crust. The diameter of the core is 1700-1850 km.

There is a theory that about 4 billion years ago, Mars collided with something very large. This led to the shutdown of the core and the loss of the magnetosphere and part of the atmosphere.

Most recently, the InSight geological station landed on Mars, which will study the internal structure of the planet and also take samples from a depth of 5 meters. New data will help to gain new knowledge and test different hypotheses.

Moons of Mars

The planet Mars has a pair of natural satellites - Phobos and Deimos. These are the names of the assistants of the god Mars, meaning “fear” and “terror”. They were discovered in 1877 by the American astronomer Asaph Hall.

The satellites of Mars are Phobos and Deimos.

Both satellites have an irregular shape and look like large asteroids, and most likely were them in the past until they were captured by the planet’s gravity. Phobos measures 26 km on its largest axis and is larger than Deimos, which is no larger than 15 km.

Phobos is gradually approaching the planet, and will eventually fall on it. But Deimos, on the contrary, is moving away.

The planet Mars, despite the fact that it is the most studied in the solar system after Earth, continues to excite the minds of scientists and ordinary people. After all, this is an earth-type planet, and hopes are placed on it as the first outpost of humanity outside the Earth. Perhaps this will actually happen, because there is simply no more suitable rocky planet nearby, except for the Moon.

Planets of the Solar System

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