Mars Fact Sheet
Fourth planet from the Sun
Distance from the Sun:
Minimum: 206,000,000 kilometers
Average: 228,000,000 kilometers
(1.52 times as far as Earth)
Maximum: 249,000,000 kilometers
Eccentricity of Orbit:
0.093 vs. 0.017 for Earth (0.00 is a perfectly circular orbit)
Distance from Earth:
Minimum: 56,000,000 kilometers
Maximum: 399,000,000 kilometers
Year:
1.88 Earth years = 669.3 Mars days (sols) = 686.7 Earth days
Day:
24.6 Earth hours
Tilt of Rotation Axis:
Size:
25.2° vs. 23.5° for Earth
Diameter: 6794 kilometers vs. 12,756 kilometers for Earth
Surface Gravity: 0.38 (or ~1/3) Earth’s gravity
Mass: 6.4 x 1026 grams vs. 59.8 x 1026 grams for Earth
Density: 3.9 grams/cc vs. 5.5 grams/cc for Earth
Surface Temperature:
Cold
Global extremes: -125°C (-190°F) to 25°C (75°F)
Average at Viking 1 site: high -10°C (15°F); low -90°C (-135°F)
Atmosphere: Thin, unbreathable
Surface pressure: ~6 millibars, or about 1 /200th of Earth’s
Contains 95% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen, 1.5% argon, ~0.03% water (varies
with season), no oxygen. (Earth has 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% argon,
0.03% carbon dioxide.)
Dusty, which makes the sky pinkish. Planet-wide dust storms black out the sky.
Surface:
Color: Rust red
Ancient landscapes dominated by impact craters
Largest volcano in the solar system (Olympus Mons)
Largest canyon in the solar system (Valles Marineris)
Ancient river channels
Some rocks are basalt (dark lava rocks); most others unknown
Dust is reddish, rusty, like soil formed from volcanic rock
Moons:
Phobos (“Fear”), 21 kilometers diameter
Deimos (“Panic”), 12 kilometers diameter
56
Destination: Mars
From LPI/NASA EW-1997-02-127-HQ
10/97 NASA JSC
Mars Facts
Pluto
Distance from Sun: 5,914 million km
Year (in Earth days): 90,411 days (³ 247.7 years)
Day (in Earth hours): 6.3 days
Diameter: 2,300 km
Atmospheric gases: not detected (perhaps
methane and nitrogen)
Moons: 1 Rings: 0
Mass: 0.002
Gravity: 0.05
Temperature: probably -238°C (-396°F)
to -228°C (-378°F)
Color: bluish
Neptune
Distance from Sun: 4,504 million km
Year (in Earth days): 60,162 days (164.8 years)
Day (in Earth hours): 19.1 hours
Diameter: 49,529 km
Atmospheric gases: 74% hydrogen, 25% helium, 1%
methane
Moons: 8 Rings: 4
Mass: 17.24
Gravity: 1.15
Temperature: -210°C (-346°F)
Color: blue
Uranus
Distance from Sun: 2,869 million km
Year (in Earth days): 30,664 days (³ 84.01 years)
Day (in Earth hours): 17.9 hours
Diameter: 51,118 km
Atmospheric gases: 83% hydrogen, 15% helium, 2%
methane
Moons: 15 Rings: 11
Mass: 14.56
Gravity: 0.86
Temperature: -200°C (-346°F)
Color: blue-green
Earth
Distance from Sun: 149.6 million km
Year (in Earth days): 365.26
Day (in Earth hours): 23.93
Diameter: 12,756 km
Atmospheric gases: 78% nitrogren,
21% oxygen, 1% other
Moons: 1 Rings: 0
Mass: 1
Gravity: 1
Temperature: -88°C (-127°F) to 57.7°C (136°F)
Color: blue and white
Saturn
Distance from Sun: 1,427 million km
Year (in Earth days): 10,753 days (³ 29.46 years)
Day (in Earth hours): 10.2 hours
Diameter: 120,660 km
Atmospheric gases: 97% hydrogen, 3% helium
Moons: 18 Rings: 1,000
Mass: 95.17
Gravity: 1.2
Temperature: -170°C (-274°F)
Color: yellowish
Venus
Distance from Sun: 108.2 million km
Year (in Earth days): 224.7
Day (in Earth hours): 243
Diameter: 12,104 km
Atmospheric gases: 97% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen
Moons: none Rings: 0
Mass: 0.82
Gravity: 0.91
Temperature: 482°C (900°F)
Color: yellowish
Mars
Jupiter
Distance from Sun: 227.9 million km
Distance from Sun: 778.3 million km
Distance from Earth: 48.6 million miles
Year (in Earth days): 4,329 days (³ 11.86 years)
Year (in Earth days): 687 days
Day (in Earth hours): 9.8 hours
Day (in Earth hours): 24.6 (³ 24 hours and 37 minutes)
Diameter: 142,800 km
Diameter: 6,786 km
Atmospheric gases: methane and ammonia
Atmospheric gases: thin carbon dioxide
Moons: 16 Rings: 3
Moons: 2 Rings: 0
Mass: 317.89
Mass: 0.11
Gravity: 2.64
Gravity: 38% of Earth’s
Temperature: -150°C (-101°F) at cloud tops
Temperature: -125°C (-194°F) to 22°C (72°F)
Color: red
Color: red/orange
Mercury
Distance from Sun: 57.9 million km
Year (in Earth days): 87.97
Day (in Earth hours): 1,407.6 (³ 58.65 days)
Diameter: 4,880 km
Atmospheric gases: trace amounts of helium, sodium
and oxygen
Moons: none Rings: 0
Mass: 0.06
Gravity: 0.33
Temperature: -183°C (-297°F) to 467°C (873°F)
Color: grey
Mars: Virtual Exploration
Lesson 8
THE SOLAR SYSTEM LOG: MAKE YOUR OWN COMPARISON
Directions: After looking at Mars in the solar system on the computer, choose three planets in
our solar system (note: do not choose Mars or Earth). Write down the information about each
planet on the Solar System log.
90
Mars: Virtual Exploration
Lesson 8
Make Your Own Comparison
Mars/Earth Comparison Log
HOW ARE THEY ALIKE?
Both planets:
• have moons
• orbit the Sun
• have gravity, atmosphere, diameter and mass
• rotate on an axis
• had similar climates 3.5 billion years ago
• have no rings (rings are orbiting particles)
MARS
EARTH
IN WHAT WAYS ARE THEY DIFFERENT?
with regard to:
2
6,786 km
DIAMETER
thin CO 2
ATMOSPHERE
687 days
REVOLUTION PERIOD
AROUND THE SUN (YR.)
COLOR
red and orange
24.6 hours
Mars Facts
MOONS
LENGTH OF
DAY
1
12,756 km
mostly nitrogen and oxygen
365.2 days
blue and white
23.9 hours
92
Mars: Virtual Exploration
Lesson 8
Make Your Own Comparison
Mars/Earth Comparison Log
HOW ARE THEY ALIKE?
Both planets:
• have moons
• orbit the Sun
• have gravity, atmosphere, diameter and mass
• rotate on an axis
• had similar climates 3.5 billion years ago
• have no rings (rings are orbiting particles)
MARS
EARTH
IN WHAT WAYS ARE THEY DIFFERENT?
with regard to:
38% of Earth’s
GRAVITY
1
MASS
1
-125oC (-194oF) to
22oC (72oF)
SURFACE TEMPERATURE
- 88oC (-127oF) to
57.7oC (136oF)
48.6 million miles
RINGS
DISTANCE FROM EARTH
0
N/A
0.11
227.9 million kilometers
Mars Facts
DISTANCE FROM SUN
0
149.6 million kilometers
93