The most interesting facts about the planet Mars. The most interesting facts about Mars

For sure Interesting Facts about Mars like a lot of people. After all, it is no coincidence that from ancient times this planet caused so much discussion among pundits.

So, your attention is offered the most interesting facts about the mysterious.

Many people know that the name of the planet belongs to the Romans, who named the red planet (this is the second name of Mars) after the mythical god of war. It was the color of blood that caused the ancient Romans to associate with war. There is, of course, a scientific explanation for the color red. Scientists suggest that this color is caused by iron oxides, which are present in large quantities in the Martian soil.
Mars has craters and canyons, mountains and valleys. An interesting fact is that Mount Olympus is the second highest in the entire solar system and is 22.5 kilometers from its base, and has a diameter of 600 km!
Today, life on Mars is impossible due to "specific weather conditions" ;-) ! The fact is that the pressure there is prohibitively low, and this, as you know, is fraught with instant death of a living organism! Although this is an interesting fact, it is too obvious, isn't it?
If we compare the atmosphere of Mars and , then it is almost a hundred times more rarefied. Although this does not prevent the formation of the Martian wind and even clouds!
The temperature regime on the planet Mars varies from +30 to -140.
The most important difference between Mars and Earth is the fact that Mars does not have. It is for this reason that when it rises on the planet, it is subjected to a powerful radioactive irradiation, which also excludes the possibility of life on Mars.
When Mars approaches the sun, certain times year, powerful snowstorms begin to rage there. It's hard to imagine Martian dust storms, although some doomsday movies give us an idea of what it might look like.
Mars has as many as two satellites (moons), unlike the Earth. Their names are Phobos and Deimos. An unusual story is connected with this, which we described in.
Many scientists are puzzled over about Mars. The fact is that only a third of the space devices sent there coped with their tasks. The vast majority of devices disappeared into the darkness mysterious planet under unclear circumstances. Maybe it has its own Bermuda Triangle too?
Gravity on Mars is 62% lower than on Earth. In other words, if a person weighs 60 kilograms, then on Mars his weight would be only 22 kilograms. Well, one more interesting fact: being on the red planet, the reader of this article could jump almost three times higher!
When the Martian winter comes, then almost twenty percent of the air simply freezes.
The mass of the planet Mars is almost 10 times less than that of our native Earth. The diameter is about 6800 km, which is almost half that of the earth.
Mount Olympus on Mars
In 1609, the eminent scientist and astronomer - Galileo Galilei first saw Mars through a telescope. By the way, it is still not clear how the Romans gave the name to Mars because of their god of war (see fact No. 1), if they simply could not detect that the planet was red. Visually, without special optics, it is impossible to notice. Anyway!
In the Cydonia region, on the planet Mars, there is a formation that has been called the “Face of Mars”. The amazing play of light and shadow makes the Martian hill really very much like a human face. By the way, this space image gave rise to a huge number of fantastic rumors and fabrications of various inventors. However, this continued exactly until the scientists made a detailed photograph of this object, proving its volcanic, and not man-made origin.
"Face of Mars" in the Kydonia region
The length of the year on the red planet is 668.6 Martian days (this is the equivalent of 687 Earth days). The day itself has a slightly longer time span than that of the Earth: 24 hours and 37 minutes.

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For centuries, people have studied celestial bodies, in the process of observation, new interesting facts about the planet mars. This bright object in the sky has been studied much more than other planets, and cognitive facts about it are of interest not only to scientists, but also to all those who are fond of astronomy.

Mars owes its name to the ancient Roman god of war. In Egypt, the planet had the name "Gor Dashr" (praising the god Horus), in Babylonia - "Nergal" (translated as "Death Star"). The ancient Jews called the planet "Maadim" ("one who blushes"). Ancient astronomers believed that real blood was once shed on Mars, which is why the planet, observed from Earth, has a red color. Scientists believe that Mars has this shade due to the high content of iron oxides.
The height of Mount Olympus on the red planet is 21.2 km, which is almost three times the height of the largest mountain on Earth, Everest. Mount Olympus is the highest elevation ever explored in the solar system. There is also a complex of canyons "Labyrinth of the Night", with the largest length of all known canyons.
Without special equipment and a spacesuit, not a single living creature - man or animal - would have survived on Mars for even a few seconds. Due too low pressure the oxygen in the blood would instantly be converted into gaseous bubbles, which would immediately cause the death of a living organism.
Unlike the Earth, Mars has two satellites - Deimos and Phobos (translated from ancient Greek - "panic" and "fear"). The first appears in the west, and sets in the east twice per Martian day. The second - moves in the opposite direction, from east to west, it takes 2.7 days to complete this path. Moreover, Phobos revolves around the planet at such a low altitude that sooner or later, according to scientists, it will collapse to the surface.
Mars formed over 4.5 billion years ago. Despite its apparent size in the sky, Mars is almost two times smaller in diameter than the Earth, and about 10 times lighter in mass. Moreover, more than half of its surface is covered with water, but compared to the water expanses of the Earth, the land area of the two planets is almost the same.
In astrology, the symbol personifying Mars is the shield and spear of the Roman god, which testify to the masculine principle of the planet. The cross, transformed into an arrow in the symbol, indicates the unity of the physical and emotional spheres.
Make the journey from Earth to Mars, moving with average speed 100 km per hour, possible in 271 years and 221 days.
The most dangerous dust storms on Earth are nothing compared to the ferocious storms on Mars. Their speed reaches 200 km per hour, and they can last more than one week, while enveloping the entire planet with air currents.
One of the most persistent battles of the intellects during the Renaissance concerned the earth and its position in relation to the universe - whether it is the center or not. Mars played an important role in solving this issue. Nicolaus Copernicus methodically explained to pundits that the Earth moves faster in orbit around the Sun than Mars, so the movement of Mars across the sky occurs in the opposite direction.
NASA, together with the European Space Agency, have planned test expeditions to Mars with a return to Earth, as well as a human landing on the red planet in 2035.
Unlike the Earth's crust, which is made up of several moving plates, the Martian crust is solid and much thicker than the Earth's crust.
Of the many research spacecraft that different time were launched to Mars, only a third managed to complete the assigned tasks. Two-thirds have disappeared without a trace. Scientists even hypothesized that there is a Bermuda Triangle on the surface of Mars that absorbs various objects.

Despite many scientific discoveries, the red planet is still very interesting for both scientists and ordinary people. And this collection, called 10 interesting facts about Mars, confirms this.

Of course, it is impossible to fit all the facts about Mars in one article, so we will divide the article into: planet Mars interesting facts for children and interesting facts about Mars for a more sophisticated reader.

Interesting Mars Facts for Kids

1. The size of the red planet is very small

You might think that it is the twin of the Earth, but its diameter is only about half the diameter of the Earth, - 6800 km across.

2. Mass of the planet

The total mass is about 10% of the mass of the Earth. Gravity on the surface - 37% of the Earth.

3. Volume and density

Scientific facts about Mars say that its average density is 3.94 grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm3). For comparison, the density of the Earth is 5.52 g/cm3. One of the reasons for the low density, compared to the Earth, is that it has only 10% of the mass of the Earth.

4. The structure of the planet

Mars is similar in structure to Earth, it also has a core that is mainly composed of iron and sulfur, a mantle composed of silicates and a crust made of basalt with iron oxide impurities, which gives the planet its characteristic reddish tint.

Its core, like the Earth's, consists of the main component - iron. This is where the similarity ends. The Earth's core is molten and is in constant motion. The inner core rotates in the opposite direction to the outer one. This interaction creates a magnetic field that shields our surface from solar radiation.

martian core

It is solid and does not rotate. It is believed that it has a size of about 2960 km in diameter. The planet has no magnetic field because of which it is constantly exposed to solar radiation.

Mantle

The mantle covers the core. The planet has no movement tectonic plates, so the surface does not change and carbon is not removed from the atmosphere. The mantle is considered quite soft.

The earth's crust was formed as a result of volcanic activity billions of years ago. Its size varies between 50 and 125 km. Much of the surface of Mars is covered in iron oxide powder. Considering the lightness of dust and high speed wind on Mars, its surface is constantly undergoing change in a relatively short time.

5. Orbit

Mars' orbit is the second most eccentric in the solar system. Only the orbit of Mercury has a greater eccentricity. At perihelion, it is at a distance of 206.6 million km from the Sun, and at aphelion, 249.2 million km. The average distance from it to the Sun (the so-called semi-major axis) is 228 million km. It takes 687 Earth days for Mars to orbit. The distance to the Sun changes depending on the gravitational influence of other planets, and the eccentricity can change over time. More recently, approximately 1.350 million years ago, it had an almost circular orbit.

6. Axis of rotation and seasons

Mars, like all planets solar system, has an axial tilt of about 25.19 degrees. This slope is similar to Earth's, so it has seasons. Martian seasons are longer than Earth's, because the year on it is almost twice as long as the Earth's year. The drastically changing distance between Mars at aphelion and perihelion means that its seasons are out of balance.

7. Orbiting

The easiest way to observe Mars is when it is in opposition - the closest point in its orbit to us. The distance, during the approach, ranges from 54 to 103 million km due to their position of the planets in their orbits. The last opposition was on 3 March 2012.

The air on Mars is deadly to humans. The size of its atmosphere is only 1% of the Earth's. It is composed of 95% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen, 1.6% argon, and trace amounts of oxygen, water vapor and other gases.

Mars is a world of extreme weather. In general, it is very cold there, with an average surface temperature of around -47 °C. During the summer, near the equator, temperatures can reach 20°C during the day but drop to -90°C at night. This 110° temperature difference creates winds that reach tornado speeds. Once these winds begin, iron oxide dust rises into the air and covers the entire planet.

10. Your weight

The force of gravity on Mars is only 38% of the Earth standard, so if you weigh 100 kg on Earth, then on Mars the scales will show 38 kg!

Briefly about Mars

As you can see, the planet Mars for children is a whole treasure trove of mysteries and interesting discoveries!

Other interesting facts

Interesting facts about Mars are based on the rather amazing phenomena and events that surround this planet.

1. People used to think that there are channels on Mars

So, in our nomination for the most interesting facts about Mars, we give first place to a fairly common misconception about channels. Until the arrival of the first spacecraft, in 1965, no one had ever seen this planet from close range. dark spots on its surface have been interpreted as lakes and oceans, and some people even thought they could see dark lines crossing the planet's surface. It seemed to them that these were irrigation canals of a dying civilization. It turned out that it was just an optical illusion, and it is a dry dusty desert.

2. There really is water on the planet

Mars has no oceans, rivers, or lakes, but NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft has discovered vast reserves of water below the surface, all over the planet, in the form of ice. The Phoenix mission arrived to search for ice under the soil near the north polar cap.

Water distribution according to Mars Oddysey

Why is the search for water on Mars so important? Geologists, along with biologists, say this is a key step in the search for life on the red planet.

Signs of life

On Earth, scientists have discovered that life can adapt to almost any environment - as long as there is water. Life exists at the bottom of the ocean, inside nuclear reactors, and deep inside the Earth at enormous temperatures. Wherever there is water on Earth, scientists have discovered life.

If there is liquid water, then there may be life there or signs that this life existed before, which would also be a grand discovery.

There are many examples that water used to be on the surface many billions of years ago. Orbiting spaceships have filmed ancient channels, and perhaps even coastlines long dead oceans. Most recently, NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft discovered massive amounts of water, in the form of ice, below the planet's surface.

Conducted research

In the past few years, rovers have found examples of liquid water on the surface for extended periods of time. And if liquid water existed there before, then probably life too.

NASA's Phoenix Lander spacecraft has landed at the North Pole, where ice lies beneath the surface. He examined soil and ice samples. The Curiosity rover is currently also exploring the planet in great detail.

The search for water is the search for life in the ancient past of the planet, and maybe life on Mars exists today.

3. The highest mountain in the solar system

Continuing our incredible facts worth mentioning about high mountain in the solar system - Mount Olympus.

It rises to a height of 27 kilometers above the surrounding plains. Mount Olympus is a shield volcano, like Maun Kea in Hawaii. It was formed gradually over millions of years.

Some of the lava flows on the volcano are so young that planetary scientists believe it may still be active.

4. The longest and deepest canyon in the solar system

It is worth mentioning the Mariner Valley, which stretches for 4000 km along the equator, its depth in some places reaches 7 km.

5 Mars Debris On Earth

The oldest meteorite from Mars - NWA7533

Earth and Mars have been hit by asteroids in the past. Although most of the material in an asteroid impact falls back down onto the planet, some of it flies away. These meteorites can orbit the solar system for millions of years before finally falling to other planets.

6. Phobos will crash into the planet in the future

It has two tiny satellites called . Phobos orbits the planet at such a low altitude that it will eventually fall on it. Its fragments, in the form of a ring, will exist for many more years, and then fall like a meteor shower on Mars. Scholars disagree on when this will happen. This may happen as early as 10 million years, but no later than 50 million years.

Animation of Phobos' rotation, obtained from images transmitted by the European spacecraft Mars Express, during its approach to this moon.

7. Very weak atmosphere

Air pressure at the surface is only 1% of the pressure above the Earth's surface. The atmosphere consists of 95% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen, 1.6% argon, and trace amounts of water and oxygen.

Composition

On Earth, oxygen makes up 21% of the air we breathe. Humans can survive at lower oxygen concentrations as well. Oxygen is distributed throughout our body by the red blood cells of our body. The high concentration of carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere can replace the oxygen in red blood cells and the body will die in less than 3 minutes. Of course, we do not take into account the cold and other factors.

General information

Today it is believed that Mars is a dry and dead planet. Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. It changes daily and depends on temperature: warm air can contain more water vapor than cold air. Humidity is measured as a percentage of the maximum amount of water the air can hold at a given temperature. The greater the difference between temperatures, the greater the evaporation. On Mars, the air is 100% humid at night but dry during the day. This is due to the huge temperature difference between day and night.

Atmospheric evolution

The atmosphere on the planet was very different at the very beginning of the existence of the solar system. Many scientists believe that the planet was warm and had a thicker atmosphere. Unfortunately, the planet lacked two important components In: Plate Tectonics and the Magnetic Field. If they were, then Mars could store enough oxygen to support life.

The most interesting facts about the planet Mars do not end there, now we come to the most interesting.

8. There are two rovers and three orbiters on the planet.

12 months of the rover in a two-minute video clip

On the surface of the planet there are two working rovers (Opportunity and Curiosity) and three orbiters: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Odyssey and Mars Express.

The video was taken by the navigation cameras of the European spacecraft Mars Express during its approach to the planet.

9. New spaceships are planned to be launched to the planet

The MAVEN probe is already on its way to the red planet!

Every two years, Mars and Earth line up so that the launch of a ship towards the red planet can be carried out with minimal cost fuel. NASA, the European Space Agency and Roscosmos, in the next few years, plan to launch several interesting spacecraft to it, including the return of soil samples from the Phobos satellite.

This animation first shows the work rover Curiosity, and later, the MAVEN probe arriving to the red planet, which will study upper layers atmosphere.

10. Face on Mars

Let's talk in more detail about the region in which it is located. If you were fond of studying the red planet, then you probably came across the mention of this “Face”.

sidonia

This is the name of a region on Mars with very interesting landforms. The region was first described by astronomers using terrestrial telescopes, and then in more detail by Viking spacecraft.

The area called Cydonia is located in the northern hemisphere, between big amount craters in the south and smooth plains in the north. It is possible that Cydonia was once in the coastal plains when the planet was covered in water, billions of years ago.

How it was

Face - detailed shot

Cydonia is the most famous region of the planet because of the unusual images sent to Earth spaceship Viking. In those distant years, thanks to the PR inflated by journalists, new facts were given out with such subtext, as if we had discovered brothers in mind. The Vikings transmitted a picture of a hill that looked like a face. And in the photo they found something similar to the pyramids. It's hard to deny, looking at the original image, that it didn't look like a face, but the most recent images transmitted by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show that it is nothing more than a hill.

face on google mars

In fact, the hill looks like a face from behind optical illusion known as pareidolia. In this case, the shadows on the hill were positioned to look like eyes and a mouth. But in shots without a shadow, the hill no longer looks like a face.

pyramids

It is also worth mentioning the "pyramids", which are also located in the Cydonia region. In low resolution from the Viking orbiter, they really look like pyramids. But from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, it is clear that this is a bizarre natural terrain. So, those who are looking for any hidden facts will surely be disappointed.

11. Bonus

A bonus point worth noting is the sandstorms of the red planet.

Storms on Mars are very different from the dust devils that many have seen in photographs from the surface of the planet. On Mars, a dust storm can develop within a few hours, and take over the entire planet within a few days. A dust storm can last for several weeks. Scientists are still trying to figure out why storms get so big and last so long.

emergence

Tornadoes arise due to the influence of the Sun. The heat from the sun warms the atmosphere and causes the air to move, picking up dust from the surface. The chance of a storm is increased when there are large fluctuations in temperature, such as those seen at the equator in summer. Due to the fact that the atmosphere of the planet is very thin, only microscopic dust particles hang in the air.

Their location

It turns out that many dust storms on the planet occur near the same impact basin. The Hellas Basin is the deepest crater in the solar system. It was formed over three billion years ago when a very large asteroid hit the surface of Mars. The temperature at the bottom of the crater can be up to 10 degrees warmer than on the surface, and the crater is well filled with dust. The difference in temperature creates a wind that kicks up dust.

Impact on space missions

Dust storms are a major concern when probes are sent to Mars. The Viking mission in 1976 easily weathered two large dust storms without damage. In 1971, Mariner 9 arrived at the planet during the largest dust storm in history. Scientists waited several weeks for the storm to subside to start studying the planet. The biggest problem is that rovers on the surface get less sunlight. Without light, there isn't enough heat for the rover to function properly.

infographics

Long ago, when it was warmer, there was a lot of water on its surface. Since that time, traces of rivers, lakes and even entire seas have remained on the planet. However, all this water froze billions of years ago. Since then, the surface of Mars has been tormented - at least for the last hundred million years. Volcanoes, the tops of which were knocked out above the dusty atmosphere of the planet, have long disappeared ... Or maybe they still exist? In some places on Mars, there are quite fresh lava flows.

Nevertheless, living beings and their traces on Mars have not yet been found. But there is still where to look. The main ones on Mars: the southern zone, densely covered with craters, the northern plains, the network of canyons of the Mariner Valley, two volcanic hills, two southern depressions and huge ice caps at the poles of the planet.

Questions and answers:

How big is the surface of Mars?- Its size is equal to the area of all the continents of the Earth, taken together.

Mars is the rocky planet farthest from the Sun. It is very cold there - so why is there no ice on the planet then? There is ice on Mars. But this is not water, but "dry ice" - carbon dioxide that we exhale. But there is very little water, H 2 O, on the surface. All of it is hidden underground at the poles of Mars. In addition, fragments of ice rocks “travel” through the valleys and craters of the planet.

What is the youngest thing on Mars?- Every year the wind creates new patterns on the dusty surface of the planet. The seasonal cycle of freezes and thaws leaves much more unusual traces in itself: round depressions, pyramids and even polygons of cracks, reminiscent of the outlines of a city block map. Landslides often occur on the steep slopes of canyons and craters. In the same place, ravines and hollows are often found, which seem to be washed out by water. During the time you can also find placers of small mounds. These are either the remains of stones thrown out by volcanoes, or bumps of ice and mud. They are too small to draw on a map.

Pyramids and "face" on Mars

Where do lava flows come from?- They flow from the tops (vents) of volcanoes or from deep fissures.

What is "sol"? Sol is the name of a solar day on Mars. They last a little more than a day on Earth - 24 hours 39 minutes 35.2 seconds. The year on the planet is long - it takes 669 and a half sols to complete a revolution around the Sun.

Where do the black dots on the Martian dunes come from? - The dunes on the planet consist of black volcanic sand, which is covered with white frost in winter. In the spring, when the white cover evaporates, black sand gradually shows up from under it. And since the melting occurs unevenly, the sand that appears through the hoarfrost looks like a scattering of black dots from above.

Where do winding valleys come from on Mars?- Most likely, they were washed away by rivers or by spring streams of melt water.

Where on Mars?“These are cracks in the planet's crust from which lava erupted. Channels could also be formed due to the movement of lithospheric plates. Here on Earth, this movement causes earthquakes.

What is a ridge?- It's a winding stone ridge on the surface of the planet. Ridges form when processes within a planet push plates of the planet's crust against each other, causing their rocks to pile on top of each other. Often the ridges are associated with volcanic flows.

What is a "dust devil"?- This is a small vortex that moves along the surface of the planet, collecting light dust from it.

What do the flower-shaped icons on the map represent? - This is a meteorite crater with sediment left over from the formation of the crater. On Mars, fragments flying from a meteorite impact may contain water. Dirt from the water spreads around the crater, forming structures that look like flowers from a bird's eye view.

Why Mars? - Red places on the planet are covered with the smallest dust that settles from the air. The color of the dust is due to rust - it contains many rusted iron particles. Dark places on the planet are covered with fresh volcanic sand, which is also red - but not as bright as in dusty areas. Bright places on Mars appear in winter - then the surface is shrouded in fog and hoarfrost. The polar caps of the planet, consisting of eternal ice, always remain white.

Is there air on Mars? - Yes, the planet has - but it is very rarefied compared to the atmosphere of our Earth. Nevertheless, the wind blows there - its strength is enough to carry sand and destroy rocks. Sometimes real sandstorms rage on Mars! Small clouds sometimes break from dust and water vapor.

What kind of black things are visible in some of the craters?- These are dunes made of sand that was poured into the crater.

Do aliens live on Mars?- So far, no living creatures or traces of any life at all have been found on Mars.

Solar panels on Phoenix probe broken by Martians? - The solar arrays were still operational when the probe last contacted Earth. They broke down after the first winter - we managed to find out with the help of satellite images. Most likely, during the cold weather, so much frost settled on the solar panels that they could not bear the entire weight and collapsed.

Why are the northern and southern parts of Mars colored? different colors on the map? - The color on the map indicates the uneven surface of the planet. To the north are low plains, and to the south are densely cratered uplands.

Where did spiders come from at the South Pole of Mars?- "Spiders" are systems of dark cracks on the surface of the planet, which diverge from one common center. They occur in the spring, during the melting of "dry ice" at the poles. Then the black bedrock of Mars is exposed. Since the ice at the pole is still heated from the inside by the heat of the planet's core, it can melt in winter, breaking out from under the crust on the surface with columns of steam.

And what does cheese do at the South Pole?- The icy surface of the pole is constantly evaporating, which causes it to shrink very strongly. In some places, this left round depressions, similar to holes in cheese. Therefore, these areas are called Swiss Cheese Plots.

How did polygonal patterns appear on the northern plains of Mars? - The patterns are a network of broken cracks. They are formed during the freezing and thawing of the soil of Mars, when it cracks due to temperature changes.

Why are Martians green?- About 100 years ago, science fiction writers imagined that people with green skin lived on Mars, as opposed to the red surface of the planet. Although we now know that Martians do not exist, artists and filmmakers still depict aliens as green.

Where does sand and dust come from on Mars? - They emerge from shattered rocks that are eroded by wind, temperature changes, ice, and water currents. The wind will play with the resulting sand for millions of years - collect it in heaps and dunes, and then scatter it back.

One of the Martian dunes

What are these white zones above and below Mars?- These are the polar ice caps. In their structure, they look like a cake - under a white cover, their ice and dust alternate. The center of the ice cap will never melt, although entire valleys cut through it.

Why are there camels on Mars?- There are two types of camels: one-humped and two-humped. One-hump are found in the hot deserts of Africa, and two-humps are found in the cold Asian deserts. It is the two-humped camels that walk around the map: only they would be found on cold and dry Mars. But now there are no real camels on the planet.

· · ·

The red planet has long attracted the attention of not only scientists, but also ordinary people. They fix their eyes on the starry sky and immediately distinguish it from many other night luminaries. The planet could be useful for mining and spaceports to fly into "uncharted space". But most of all we want to know if life exists on Mars.

Mars is the only planet in the solar family that is still able to surprise scientists with some kind of life form. They really hope so, as, indeed, we do.

giant ants

Is there life on Mars? According to some scholars, it was In the past, Mars, like Earth, was filled with rivers, volcanoes erupted, and the climate was temperate. The banks of rivers, seas and oceans were covered with abundant vegetation, and animal world was much more diverse than on Earth. Insects were the most adapted to the living conditions, the leading positions in terms of numbers were occupied by huge praying mantises and ants. And then the irreparable happened - the rich nature of Mars disappeared along with most of the atmosphere.

Atmosphere

Home distinctive feature the current Mars and Earth is the composition of their atmospheres and density. The atmosphere of Mars, which consists mainly of carbon dioxide, presses on the planet 100 times weaker than the earth's, and does not protect it from the death-bearing radiation of the Sun, while the atmosphere of Venus presses 100 times stronger in relation to the Earth.

An increase in air temperature can turn the Earth into another Venus, and if our planet is polluted, then its slow cooling will be similar to Martian conditions. At the equator of Mars, the temperature does not exceed +16 degrees, and at night it is -60 degrees Celsius. At both poles, the thermometer drops to -120 degrees. The atmosphere of Mars does not protect it well from the cold Cosmos.

In our country, fluffy white snow covers the permafrost of the pole, and on Mars - "dry ice", i.e. frozen carbon dioxide. The low pressure of the Martian atmosphere, which has almost disappeared, will boil and evaporate a glass of water at +10 degrees. This means that it is possible to melt the permafrost of the planet and extract water thanks to powerful installations with microwaves.

Surface of Mars

The surface of the planet has a reddish tint, this is due to the significant content of iron oxides in it. The southern hemisphere of Mars is covered a large number craters than the northern one. Up from the equator, an unknown force covered almost all traces of craters, perhaps there was a catastrophe. Or maybe it was an endless ocean.

Probably, in former times, rivers flowed on the planet, but now only dried up channels remain from them. The surface of Mars is famous for its high volcanoes, one of them - Olympus - rises up to 28 kilometers - this is the highest mountain in the Solar family. Frozen lava flows formed the shield volcanoes that abound on the planet. In ancient times, Mars showed unprecedented volcanic activity.

Huge canyons, sand dunes, meteorite craters. In addition to meteorites, the surface of the planet is affected by the atmosphere with the hydrosphere, the latter being much less pronounced. Weathering acts on the planet, although not as active as on Earth. Previously, it was intensified by high temperature and atmospheric pressure, as well as by the existing liquid water.

Highly Spiritual Entities

Is there life on Mars? This is a classic question that reflects people's interest in the existence of brothers in mind in space. But there is an opinion expressed by people with paranormal abilities that their civilization has already reached much more than millions of years ago. high level development than ours.

The spirit or mind of a Martian has already mastered all the qualities of evolutionary experience and completed the cycle of development in three-dimensional space, now he does not need a material shell, as we need it to master the physical world. Highly spiritual entities now require more dynamic systems, developing activities that are not at all similar to ours.

Therefore, life on Mars turns out to be invisible to the means of probing, despite the intense manifestations of the forms of their activity, which are different from ours. That is why official science still does not recognize either a reasonable or even any elementary form of life. Or maybe scientists have already proven that there is life on Mars, but they hide it?

The disappearance of the Martian civilization

Is there life on Mars? If consider various evidence scientists and researchers in this field, it can be argued that it was. But where did she disappear to? This is a new question. We need to figure it out.

Water has long been found on the planet in the form of ice, riverbeds, which means that it had its own atmosphere, and, accordingly, the biosphere. Therefore, presumably, Mars also had its own civilization of intelligent beings. There is evidence of this in the form of rock paintings of ancient people (earthlings), their legends about gods who descended to earth have been preserved. There are also hypotheses that it was the Martians who brought to Earth a certain number of species of animals and plants, introduced ancient people to science. And today Mars looks lifeless: its atmosphere is 95% carbon dioxide, and few people believe that life was once in full swing on the red planet.

Meteor shower or war?

Is there life on the planet Mars? It is no secret that it has its own secrets, which scientists are trying to reveal by discovering many obscure things. For example, a sphinx looking at the sky, incomprehensible holes in rocks of the correct form, 40 pyramids found - all this requires clarification.

Is there life on Mars or not? The above facts prove that it existed. It is possible to give explanations about the disappeared intelligent civilization of the Martians, assuming that they died as a result of a catastrophe. On the surface of Mars, many small craters have been found that go deep into the planet, their age is huge. From this follows the conclusion that many years ago there was a meteor shower that wiped out all life from the face of the planet. The Martians failed to cope with this scourge.

There is also another hypothesis about the disappearance of civilization. A version is put forward about the war, as a result of which the humanoids destroyed themselves. Proof - craters - traces of falling bombs, maybe nuclear.

Life deep underground

Is life possible on Mars now? There is hope that civilization still exists. Maybe after the catastrophe, its representatives hid deep in the bowels of the earth, settling there in some kind of bunkers on the planet Mars? Is there life on Mars? Photos showing holes of the correct shape prove that it is quite possible. Where do they lead? Why weren't they covered in sand? Why don't the humanoids try to ask us for help if they're there?

Mars holds many mysteries. How much longer to wait for a meeting with aliens? And when will it be possible to give an exact answer to the eternal question of whether there is life on Mars?

From the history of the issue

Man did not want to feel alone among the stars, so all sorts of hypotheses about life on Mars were invented. In ancient times, scientists and other respected people were not averse to believing in the existence of intelligent life even on the moon.

At the end of the 19th century, a whole network of straight lines was observed on the surface of Mars, they were discovered by the Italian Schiaparelli (later they are translated from his language as channels). But it all turned out to be an optical illusion.

Further, at the turn of the century, real passions arose around Mars and aliens, and the question of the existence of life on the planet was considered closed. And the problem of establishing contacts with extraterrestrial civilizations of the Universe was only with other planets, not with Mars. But time passed, and the Martians were silent.

In the middle of the 20th century, the Russian scientist Tikhonov was able to explain the change in color of some parts of the planet, linking this with the seasonal activity of blue-green or blue plants. Soon the science of astrobotany arose. But all these bold claims were refuted by the first detailed images of the surface of Mars in 1965.

mysterious face

Is there life on Mars? The Viking1 photo, which depicts an unusual relief formation, caused another stormy wave of discussion around the issue of Martian civilization on the planet. When this section of the planet's surface was filmed, the sun's rays fell in such a position on this hill that it looked like a mask or a mysterious face. About this find, which was called the "Martian Sphinx", it was written a large number of books and lectures.

Mars... Is there life there? New research shows that such faces can be seen everywhere on the red planet.

life showed up

Is life possible on Mars? The proof that it is, or at least was, found in Antarctica. A team of scientists led by David McKay in the 90s of the 20th century published an article proving the discovery of the existence of bacterial life on Mars in past times. A meteorite that fell from Mars to Earth in the region of Antarctica gave interesting results when studying it. When analyzing the substance of the meteorite, organic compounds were found that are very similar to the waste products of terrestrial bacteria, mineral formations were also found that correspond to the by-products of bacterial activity, and carbonate balls (they may be microfossils of simple bacteria).

Fallen meteorite

How did a piece of Mars end up on earth? Researchers provide clarification on this matter. About 100 million years after the formation of Mars, the initial hot rocks have become solid. This information is based on the study of meteorite radioisotopes. About 4 billion years ago, the rock collapsed, presumably from the fall of a meteorite. The water that got into the cracks made it possible for simple bacteria to exist in them. The bacteria, with their by-products, then turned into fossils in the rifts. This detailed information was obtained by studying radioisotopes in cracks.

A large meteorite from space landed on Mars 16 million years ago, breaking off a large piece of rock that soared into space. This event is just such a long time ago, which is confirmed by studies of the meteorite, which was under the influence of cosmic rays all the time of its movement in space. The traveler ended his flight in Antarctica.

Born from Mars

Scientists give an answer with evidence about its Martian origin. Twelve meteorites of Martian origin have been discovered on Earth, including our messenger of life. It weighs almost two kilograms. Our "newcomer" is not like everyone else, but is an exception - one of all was formed about 4.6 billion years ago, when the history of the solar system was just beginning, the remaining eleven have a younger age - 1.3 billion years.

All twelve meteorites were formed on Mars, this is evidenced by their rock crystallized from molten magma, it was previously red-hot. This proves their planetary origin, which is not at all connected, for example, with an asteroid. The composition of their breeds is very similar to each other. They are all marked with heat from the impact and bear marks confirming that there was a meteorite landing that ejected them into open space space. Studying the rock that fell to Earth, scientists discovered on one of the twelve meteorites an air bubble, similar in composition to the Martian atmosphere, which was studied by the Vikings. This is all and some other conclusions and comparisons allow us to conclude that these meteorites are of Martian origin.

Upcoming launches

Looking at the pictures of the Vikings, you can see two large craters, they may well be traces of the fall of that meteorite on the planet Mars, which broke off and let the rocks travel around the outer space surrounding the planet.

The planet Mars... Is there life on it? There is no limit to the optimistic view, but there are also opposite opinions that prophesy for our Earth a lonely existence in the abyss of a lifeless Universe. But it’s too early to grieve, because at the dawn of the millennium, new launches to the red planet are planned, perhaps they will bring us good news. Well, let's wait and see.

Since ancient times, mankind began to study the secrets of the universe. In the ancient period, the first calculations appeared that, with one error or another, determined the distances from the Earth to nearby objects in the solar system. Also at this time, the first arose Among all the planets and stars that our ancestors studied, far from last place occupied Mars. It was visible to the naked eye in the sky. Over the years, people have studied this planet down to the molecular composition of the soil and atmosphere. Therefore, now we present you with interesting facts about Mars, based on the works of all mankind.

Mysterious name

Both today and in ancient times, the Red Planet stood out strongly against the background of more distant stars and galaxies, which we see as luminous dots. Its color deserves special attention. This was first noticed by the ancient Egyptians, who constantly made observations of the starry sky. They called this one simply - "her desher", which means "red" in translation. In parallel, the planet was observed in Ancient China. Here she was considered a star, and was also called red. Own official name she received in ancient Rome in honor of the god of war Mars. Of course, this decision was also influenced by the color - bloody, as the Romans said.

Why is Mars red?

Interesting facts about Mars began to appear in the old days, since the planet was discovered. All the peoples who studied it were looking for an answer to one question: why does the planet appear red? Does it really have such a shade or is it some kind of spectral illusion? Now we can answer with full confidence that Mars really has a red surface. This color is formed due to deposits of regolith, which is rich in iron and various minerals. All this is mixed with stones, which are also tinted in a brown hue. As a result, the entire planet is covered with red soil.

fiction or reality?

After many satellites were sent from Earth, astronomers were able to establish new facts about Mars that relate to its atmosphere. After all, it is known that it is thanks to the air shell that any planet can become suitable for the development of life or, conversely, remain deserted. So, as far as Mars is concerned, the atmosphere is very thin and very cold. It passes through itself solar radiation and cosmic dust, does not interfere with electrical radiation that comes from Jupiter and Saturn. Such conditions completely exclude the presence of water or even ice on the planet, and therefore life itself. Today we can say for sure that Mars is a desert that stretches over the entire planet.

Relief with a planetary scale

No less interesting facts about Mars can be learned by studying the planets. It, although deserted, has its mountains, plains, plateaus and depressions. So, the hills here are the highest in the solar system, and the depressions are the deepest and most lingering. highest point planet is Mount Olympus (27 kilometers). It is three times larger than our Everest. The deepest point is considered to be. Its depth goes 10 kilometers down, and at the same time the length is 4000 km, which is comparable to mainland Australia.

Volcanic scales

In addition to the highest Mount Olympus, which acquired its parameters due to long-term eruptions of lava, Mars also has a volcano, the diameter of which is in the solar system. The mouth of this "breathing" mountain stretches along and across for 600 kilometers, which is comparable to the state of New Mexico on Earth. When you consider such facts about Mars and compare the scale of this planet with the Earth, it seems that our nearest planetary neighbor consists of a relief of incredible proportions. At the same time, all the beauties of Mars are only land and not a drop of water.

Ice from the dust

We have already said that the atmosphere of the Red Planet does not contribute to the emergence of life or even water on the surface or in the bowels of the soil. However, at the poles of Mars, scientists have long noticed the so-called ice caps, which do not melt, but only slightly change their shape. After this ice was delivered to Earth, it was carefully analyzed. Due to the fact that the temperature in the polar regions is incredibly low (below we will consider such interesting facts about Mars as its weather conditions, and everything will become clear), this ice does not lend itself to even the aggressive rays of the sun, which mercilessly penetrate its thin atmosphere. It is itself composed of carbon dioxide and carbon dioxide. It enters the category and in very small proportions evaporates into the atmosphere.

Mars weather conditions

We have already learned a lot about the fourth planet of the solar system, but the most interesting facts about Mars lie in its weather patterns. For us, earthlings, the word "desert" is associated with heat, winds and a terrible scorching sun. If the desert is icy, then eternal snows lie there. But Mars is a unique combination of unthinkably low temperatures and complete lack of precipitation. The air temperature at the equator drops to -60 Celsius, at the poles it is as much as -130, sometimes even lower. Now let's remember what kind of atmosphere this planet has: it is very thin. Therefore, clouds, winds and any cyclones do not form here. Along and across the Red Planet, the landscape is the same everywhere, only the air temperature changes.

A brief overview of the basic data about the planet

We have now reviewed the most important and interesting facts about Mars. Briefly, we present the rest of the material that concerns the Red Planet:

A day on Mars is equal to the earth - 24 hours, but the year lasts 687 days.
Mars belongs to the category of terrestrial planets. This means that he has hard surface and its unique terrain.
The atmosphere of Mars is thin and consists of carbon dioxide, nitrogen and argon.
Mars has no rings.
But it has two satellites - Deimos and Phobos.
There is no ozone layer in the atmosphere of the Red Planet. Therefore, the sunrise here is accompanied not by joy and smiles, as on Earth, but by a lethal dose of radiation.
More than 80 spacecraft have been launched to Mars, and only a third of them have completed their mission. It is believed that there is a "Bermuda Triangle" that absorbs our equipment.

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