Mars
Mars
Planet · 1.52 AU from the Sun
Mars facts
- Type
- Planet
- Distance from the Sun
- 1.52 AU (2.28 × 10⁸ km)
- Orbital period (year)
- 1.88 Earth years
- Diameter
- 6,779 km
- Mass
- 6.42 × 10²³ kg
- Moons
- 2
- Rotation period (day)
- 24.6 hours
- Axial tilt
- 25.19°
- Mean temperature
- -65 °C
- Discovered
- Known to the ancients
Orbit
About Mars
Mars is the fourth planet, a cold desert world whose rusty iron-oxide dust gives it a red hue. It has the tallest volcano and one of the deepest canyons in the Solar System, polar ice caps, and clear signs that liquid water once flowed across it.
- Named after the Roman god of war, for its blood-red colour
- Discovered: Known to the ancients
Major moons of Mars
Mars has 2 known moons, both shown below. Press play to start the animation.
Relative sizes and spacing are compressed; orbits shown coplanar. Click a moon for its page.
Paused
Mars: frequently asked questions
- What is Mars?
- Mars is a planet in our Solar System, orbiting the Sun at an average distance of 1.52 AU (2.28 × 10⁸ km). Mars is the fourth planet, a cold desert world whose rusty iron-oxide dust gives it a red hue.
- How far is Mars from the Sun?
- Mars orbits the Sun at an average distance of 1.52 AU, about 2.28 × 10⁸ km. One AU is the Earth-Sun distance, so Mars is roughly 1.5 times Earth's distance from the Sun.
- How long is a year on Mars?
- Mars takes 1.88 Earth years to complete one orbit of the Sun. By Kepler's third law, bodies farther from the Sun take longer to go around.
- How many moons does Mars have?
- Mars has 2 known moons: Phobos, Deimos.
- How big is Mars?
- Mars has a diameter of about 6,779 km and a mass of roughly 6.42 × 10²³ kg.
See Mars in motion
Data from NASA/JPL and NSSDCA. Source.