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
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, which is one Mars year. 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.
- 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.