Of all the planets in the solar system, Mars is the planet that arouses the most interest for human beings. And the red planet has characteristics that make it attractive for humanity to use it as a second planet. Research on Mars does not stop yielding information that leaves us perplexed. There are different curiosities of mars that is worth knowing.
Therefore, in this article we are going to tell you which are the curiosities of Mars that are worth knowing.
Curiosities of Mars
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The nickname given to this particular planet was not a casual decision made by humans. Rather, the well-known crimson neighbor is named after a Roman deity: Mars. In Roman mythology, Mars was revered as the god of war. However, the question remains: what was the reason behind the selection of this particular god among the multitude of other options available in the pantheon of Roman gods?
The name "red planet" is a direct result of the planet's appearance in the night sky. Mars appears to the naked eye as an orange-red sphere. In ancient Rome, the color red was associated with blood, which in turn was associated with war. As a result, Mars, the god of war, was revered and the planet was named after him.
The dark side of Mars
Mars is also credited with the myth that the Moon has a "dark side". This planet has a unique feature that sets it apart: it has no hidden sides. Because of this, depending on the viewer's location and the time of observation, each side of Mars will appear identical to the other.
Different gravity
As we delve deeper into the curiosities of Mars, it is essential to highlight the unique aspect of its gravity. Unlike our planet, the gravity on the red planet is only 37% of Earth's gravity. Consequently, if one were to visit Mars, You would experience a significant weight reduction by a staggering 63%.
It is important to note that although the weight of an object may change on Mars, the actual mass of the object remains constant. What does change is the way the human body perceives weight. This altered perception results in a feeling of lightness and increased mobility on the Martian surface.
Dark spots
One of the most intriguing aspects of Mars is also one of the most significant. The planet's distinctive red hue is accompanied by dark imperfections, among which one in particular stands out: Syrtis Major Planum. This formation was the first that could be seen from Earth and is still relevant today. It is widely speculated that Syrtis was once an ocean, millions of years ago.
The highest mountain in the entire solar system
Without a doubt, Mount Olympus is a unique sight in the solar system. This colossal mountain It has a height of approximately 25 kilometers and a diameter of 600 kilometers. It is not only the tallest mountain in existence, but also one of the most recently formed Martian volcanoes. Although it was active more than a billion years ago.
Possible existence of life
The New research findings suggest that more than 4.500 billion years ago, the planet Mars may have been capable of supporting life. This would have occurred long before life existed on Earth. Despite this discovery, uncertainty remains about the conditions that would have allowed such life and how it ultimately ended. Some experts hypothesize that climate change could have played a major role in the decline of life on Mars.
Other curiosities about Mars
There are other curiosities that also attract attention but that may be somewhat less known. These are the following:
Appearance of a lake
The discovery of a large body of water at the south pole of Mars has raised the possibility of extraterrestrial life on the planet. At the moment The conditions of the lake are being examined to determine whether it may have once been habitable.
It is worth highlighting the presence of remains of water on the planet. However, it is important to note that this water is not drinkable in its current state due to the excessive amount of minerals present in it.
Auroras on Mars
Every day, or almost every day, the Martian aurora occurs as a result of the interaction between oxygen molecules in the atmosphere and sunlight. Although it is an impressive sight, It is not visible from Earth and photographs of this phenomenon are few and far between.
The duration of one year
The length of a year is determined by the time it takes for a planet to complete one full orbit around the sun. For the Earth, This duration is 365 days. In contrast, the planet Mars needs 687 days to complete its full orbit, which is a significant deviation from Earth's duration.
Sunsets
One of the intriguing aspects of Mars is the unique nature of its sunsets. Unlike the yellow, orange and red hues that Earth's sunsets typically display, Mars sunsets offer a completely different experience. The horizon of Mars transforms into a blue tint as a result of the vertical dispersion of dust in the planet's atmosphere. The Curiosity rover managed to capture the first recorded observation of a Martian sunset.
intense storms
Despite its size, Mars has some of the largest, most intense and powerful dust storms in the entire solar system. The idea of humans colonizing and inhabiting Mars is closer than we thought, and the problem of storms is one of the biggest challenges facing engineers. NASA scientists have observed horrific dust storms on Mars since 1971, and although they are still not sure why the storms last so long (months) and become so intense, They believe that dust particles present in the Martian atmosphere are responsible for the cause. Absorbing so much sunlight, raising atmospheric temperatures and causing strong winds has a lot to do with it.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the curiosities of Mars and its characteristics.