Mars Pictures GalleryMars Information Mars was probably named for the Roman god of War due to its red color. Sometimes called the Red Planet, Mars has inspired wild flights of imagination over the centuries, as well as intense scientific interest. From source of hostile invaders of Earth to a rough-and-tumble mining colony of the future, Mars provides fertile ground for science fiction writers.
Mars' atmosphere is 95 % carbon dioxide, nearly 3 % nitrogen, and nearly 2 % argon with trace quantities of oxygen, carbon monoxide, water vapor, ozone, & other trace gases. The average temperature is about -55C or -67F but can range from -133C or -207F at the winter pole to almost 27C or 80F on the day side during summer. Orbiting 227,940,000 km (1.52 AU) from Sun, the Martian year is nearly 2 Earth years, while its day is only about half an hour longer than Earth's.
Mars has 2 tiny satellites which orbit very close to the surface, Phobos & Deimos.
This Image of "The Red Planet" is a composite of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) daily global images acquired at Ls 193° during a previous Mars year shows the Tharsis face of Mars. Ls, solar longitude, is a measure of the time of year on Mars. Mars travels 360° around the Sun in 1 Mars year. The year begins at Ls 0°, the start of northern spring and southern autumn.
After the Red Planet, Mars, we travel even farther out to the giant planet, Jupiter.
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