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Mars is a mysterious red planet
The biggest mystery for humanity remains everything that is outside of our planet.
How much unknown and undiscovered is hidden in the dark cosmos.
I am glad that today we know information, even if not all, about nearby planets.
Let's talk about Mars today.
Mars is the fourth planet farthest from the Sun and closest to Earth.
This planet is approximately 4.6 billion years old, like Earth, Venus and the rest of the planets of the solar system.
The name of the planet comes from the name of the ancient Roman and Greek god of war ARES.
The Romans and Greeks associated the planet with war because of its similarity to blood.
If you look at Mars from Earth, then this planet is red orange in color.
The color of the planet is such because of the abundant content of iron minerals in the soil.
In the recent past, scientists have discovered channels, valleys and ditches on the surface of Mars, as well as deposits of a thick layer of ice at the north and south poles, which proves that water once existed on Mars.
If this is really the case, then the water may still be in the cracks and wells of the underground rocks of the planet.
In addition, a group of researchers claim that once there were living beings on Mars.
As evidence, they cite certain kinds of materials found in a meteorite that fell to Earth.
However, the statements of this group did not convince the majority of scientists.
The surface of Mars is very diverse.
Some of the impressive features include: a system of canyons that is much deeper and longer than the Grand Canyon in the United States, and a mountain system whose highest point is much higher than Mount Everest.
The density of the Martian atmosphere is 100 times less than that of the Earth's atmosphere.
However, this does not prevent the formation of such phenomena as clouds and wind.
Huge dust storms sometimes rage all over the planet.
It is much colder on Mars than on Earth.
The surface temperature varies from the lowest -125° Celsius recorded near the poles in winter, to the highest + 20° Celsius recorded at noon near the equator.
The average temperature is approximately -60° Celsius.
This planet is not similar to Earth in many ways, mainly due to the fact that it is much further away from the Sun and much smaller than the Earth.
The average distance from Mars to the Sun is about 227,920,000 km, which is 1.5 times more than the distance from Earth to the Sun.
The average value of the radius of Mars is 3390 km this is about half the radius of the Earth.
Physical characteristics of Mars
The orbit and rotation of the planet
Like the rest of the planets in the solar system, Mars orbits the Sun in an elliptical orbit.
But its orbit is more elongated than the orbit of the Earth and other planets.
The greatest distance from the Sun to Mars is 249,230,000 km, the smallest is 206,620,000 km.
The duration of the year is 687 Earth days.
The duration of the day is 24 hours, 39 minutes and 35 seconds.
The distance between Earth and Mars depends on the position of these planets in their orbits.
It can range from 54,500,000 km to 401,300,000 km.
Mars is closest to Earth during the opposition, when the planet is in the direction opposite to the Sun.
Confrontations are repeated every 26 months at different points in the orbit of Mars and Earth.
Like the Earth, the axis of Mars is tilted relative to the plane of the orbit by 25.19° compared to 23.45° of the Earth.
This is reflected in the amount of sunlight falling on some parts of the planet, which in turn affects the occurrence of seasons similar to the seasons on Earth.
The mass of Mars is 6.42*1020 tons, which is 10 times less than the mass of the Earth.
The density is about 3,933 grams per cubic centimeter, which is about 70 % of the density of the Earth.
Gravitational forces
Due to the smaller size and density of the planet, the gravity on Mars is 38% of the gravity of the Earth.
Therefore, if a person stands on Mars, he will feel as if his weight has been reduced by 62%.
Or, if he drops a stone, then this stone will fall much slower than the same stone on the Ground.
The internal structure of Mars
All the information obtained about the internal structure of the planet is based on: calculations related to the mass, rotation, density of the planet; on knowledge of the properties of other planets; on the analysis of Martian meteorites that fell to Earth, as well as on data collected from research vehicles in the orbit of the planet.
All this makes it possible to assume that Mars, like the Earth, may consist of three main layers:
martian crust; mantle; core.
The bark.
Scientists assume that the thickness of the Martian crust is approximately 50 km.
The thinnest part of the crust falls on the northern hemisphere.
The rest of the most part of the crust consists of volcanic rocks.
The mantle.
The mantle is similar in composition to the Earth's mantle.
As on Earth, the main source of the planet's heat is radioactive decay — the decay of the nuclei of atoms of elements such as uranium, potassium and thorium.
Due to the radioactive radiation, the average temperature of the Martian mantle can be about 1500 degrees Celsius.
The core.
The main components of the core of Mars are probably: iron, nickel and sulfur.
Information about the density of the planet gives some idea of the size of the core, which presumably should be smaller than the core of the Earth.
It is possible that the radius of the core of Mars is approximately 1500-2000 km.
Unlike the Earth's core, which is partially melted, the core of Mars must be solid, since this planet does not have a sufficient magnetic field.
However, the data obtained from the space station show that some of the oldest Martian rocks were formed as a result of the influence of a large magnetic field — this gives reason to believe that in the distant past Mars had a molten core.
Description of the surface of Mars
The surface of Mars is very diverse.
In addition to mountains, plains, and polar ice, almost the entire surface is densely dotted with craters.
In addition, the entire planet is shrouded in fine grained reddish dust.
Plains
Most of the surface consists of flat, low lying plains, which are mainly located in the northern hemisphere of the planet.
One of these plains is the lowest and relatively smooth among all the plains of the solar system.
This smoothness was probably achieved by sedimentary rock deposits (tiny particles that settle on the bottom of the liquid) formed as a result of finding water in this place — which is one of the proofs that there was once water on Mars.
Canyons
Along the equator of the planet there is one of the most striking places a system of canyons known as the Mariner Valley, named after the space research station "Mariner 9", which first discovered the valley in 1971.
The Mariner Valley stretches from east to west and is approximately 4000 km long, which is equal to the width of the continent of Australia.
Scientists believe that these canyons were formed as a result of splitting and stretching of the planet's crust, the depth in some places reaches 8-10 km.
The Mariner Valley on Mars.
Photos from the website astronet.ru
Channels come out of the eastern part of the valley, and layered deposits have been found in some places.
Based on these data, it can be assumed that the canyons were partially filled with water.
Volcanoes on Mars
Mars is home to the largest volcano in the solar system — the Olympus Mons volcano (translated from Latin. Mount Olympus) is 27 km high.
The diameter of the mountain is 600 km.
Three other large volcanoes the mountains of Arsia, Ascreus and Povonis, are located on a huge volcanic plateau called Tharsis.
All the slopes of volcanoes on Mars are gradually rising, similar to the volcanoes in Hawaii.
Hawaiian and Martian volcanoes are enclosing volcanoes formed from lava eruptions.
Currently, no active volcanoes have been found on Mars.
Traces of volcanic ash on the slopes of other mountains suggest that Mars used to be volcanically active.
A large number of meteorites caused damage to the planet, forming craters on the surface of Mars.
The phenomenon of impact craters is rare on Earth for two reasons: 1) those craters that were formed at the beginning of the planet's history are already blurred;
2) The Earth has a very dense atmosphere that prevents meteorites from falling.
Martian craters are similar to craters on the moon and other objects in the solar system, which have a deep, bowl shaped bottom with raised wheel shaped edges.
Large craters may have central peaks formed as a result of a shock wave.
A smiling crater.
Photos from the website astrolab.ru
The number of craters on Mars varies from place to place.
Almost the entire southern hemisphere is covered with craters of various sizes.
The largest crater on Mars is the Hellas basin (Lat. Hellas Planitia) in the southern hemisphere, whose diameter is approximately 2300 km.
The depth of the depression is about 9 km.
Channels and river valleys have been discovered on the surface of Mars, many of which were spilled over low lying plains.
Scientists assume that the Martian climate was quite warm, since water existed in liquid form.
Polar deposits
The most interesting feature of Mars is the thick accumulation of finely layered sediments located at both poles of Mars.
Scientists believe that the layers consist of a mixture of water ice and dust.
The atmosphere of Mars probably stored these layers for a long period.
They can serve as evidence of seasonal weather activity and long term climate change.
The ice caps of both hemispheres of Mars remain frozen throughout the year.
Climate and atmosphere of Mars
Atmosphere
The atmosphere of Mars is discharged, the oxygen content in the atmosphere is only 0.13%, while in the Earth's atmosphere it is 21%.
The content of carbon dioxide is 95.3%.
Other gases contained in the atmosphere include nitrogen 2.7%; argon 1.6%; carbon monoxide 0.07% and water 0.03%.
Atmospheric pressure
The atmospheric pressure on the planet's surface is only 0.7 kpascal, which is 0.7% of the atmospheric pressure on the Earth's surface.
When the seasons change, the atmospheric pressure fluctuates.
The temperature of Mars
At high altitudes in the area of 65-125 km from the surface of the planet, the temperature of the atmosphere is -130 degrees Celsius.
Closer to the surface, the average daily temperature of Mars ranges from -30 to -40 degrees.
Right at the surface, the temperature of the atmosphere can vary greatly during the day.
Even near the equator, it can reach -100 degrees late at night.
The temperature of the atmosphere can rise when dust storms are raging on the planet.
Dust absorbs sunlight, and then transfers most of the heat to the gases of the atmosphere.
The clouds
Clouds on Mars are formed only at high altitudes, in the form of frozen carbon dioxide particles.
Early in the morning, frost and fog are especially frequent.
Fog, frost and clouds on Mars are very similar to each other.
A dust cloud.
Photos from the website astrolab.ru
Wind
On Mars, as on Earth, there is a general circulation of the atmosphere, expressed in the form of wind, which is characteristic of the entire planet.
The main reason for the occurrence of winds is solar energy and the unevenness of its distribution on the surface of the planet.
The average speed of surface winds is approximately 3 m / s.
Scientists have recorded wind gusts up to 25 m / s.
Nevertheless, wind gusts on Mars have much less force than the same gusts on Earth — this is due to the low density of the planet's atmosphere.
Dust storms are the most impressive weather phenomenon on Mars.
This is a swirling wind that can lift dust from the surface in a short time.
Such a wind looks like a tornado.
The formation of large dust storms on Mars occurs as follows: when a strong wind begins to lift dust into the atmosphere, this dust absorbs sunlight and thereby warms the air around it.
As soon as the warm air rises, there is an even greater wind, which raises even more dust.
As a result, the storm becomes even stronger.
At large scales, dust storms can envelop a surface area of more than 320 km.
During the largest storms, dust can cover the entire surface of Mars.
Storms of this size can last for several months, hiding the entire planet from view.
Such storms were recorded in 1987 and in 2001.
Dust storms occur more often at the maximum approach of Mars to the Sun, since at such moments solar energy warms the planet's atmosphere more.
Satellites of Mars
Mars is accompanied by two small satellites Phobos and Deimos (sons of the god Ares), which were named and discovered in 1877 by the American astronomer Asaph Hall.
Both satellites have an irregular shape.
The largest diameter of Phobos is approximately 27 km, Deimos — 15 km.
The satellites have a large number of craters, most of which were formed as a result of meteorite impacts.
In addition, Phobos has many grooves cracks that could be formed when a satellite collides with a large asteroid.
Scientists still do not know how and where these satellites were formed.
It is assumed that they were formed during the formation of the planet Mars.
According to another version, the satellites used to be asteroids flying near Mars, and the gravitational force of the planet pulled them into its orbit.
The proof of the latter is that both satellites have a dark gray color, which is similar to the color of some types of asteroids.
Astronomical observations from Mars
After the landing of automatic vehicles on the surface of Mars, it became possible to conduct astronomical observations directly from the surface of the planet.
Due to the astronomical position of Mars in the Solar system, the characteristics of the atmosphere, the period of rotation of Mars and its satellites, the picture of the night sky of Mars (and astronomical phenomena observed from the planet) differs from the earth and in many ways seems unusual and interesting.
During sunrise and sunset, the Martian sky at the zenith has a reddish pink color, and in the immediate vicinity of the Sun's disk - from blue to purple, which is completely opposite to the picture of the earth's dawns.
At noon, the sky of Mars is yellow orange.
The reason for such differences from the color scheme of the Earth's sky is the properties of the thin, rarefied, suspended dust containing atmosphere of Mars.
Presumably, the yellow orange color of the sky is also caused by the presence of 1% magnetite in dust particles that are constantly present in the Martian atmosphere and are raised by seasonal dust storms.
Twilight begins long before sunrise and lasts long after sunset.
Sometimes the color of the Martian sky turns purple as a result of light scattering on microparticles of water ice in clouds (the latter is a rather rare phenomenon).
The Earth on Mars is observed as a morning or evening star, rising before dawn or visible in the evening sky after sunset.
Mercury from Mars is almost inaccessible to observations with the naked eye due to its extreme proximity to the Sun.
The brightest planet in the sky of Mars is Venus, in second place is Jupiter (its four largest satellites can be seen with the naked eye), in third place is Earth.
The satellite Phobos, when observed from the surface of Mars, has an apparent diameter of about 1/3 of the Moon's disk in the Earth's sky.
Phobos rises in the west and sets in the east and crosses the sky of Mars twice a day.
The movement of Phobos across the sky is easily noticeable during the night, as well as the change of phases.
With the naked eye, you can see the largest detail of the relief of Phobos the Stickney crater.
The second satellite Deimos rises in the east and sets in the west, looks like a bright star without a noticeable visible disk, slowly crossing the sky for 2.7 Martian days.
Both satellites can be observed in the night sky at the same time, in this case Phobos will move towards Deimos.
The brightness of both Phobos and Deimos is sufficient for objects on the surface of Mars to cast clear shadows at night.
The Evolution of Mars
By studying the surface of Mars, scientists have learned how Mars has evolved since its formation.
They compared the stages of the planet's evolution with the age of various regions of the surface.
The greater the number of craters in the region, the older the surface there is.
Scientists have conditionally divided the life expectancy of the planet into three stages: the Noachian era, the Hesperian and the Amazonian era.
The Noachian era is named after a huge mountainous area in the southern hemisphere of the planet.
During this period, a huge number of objects, ranging from small meteorites to large asteroids, collided with Mars, leaving behind many craters of various sizes.
The Noachian period was also characterized by great volcanic activity.
In addition, during this period, river valleys may have been formed, which left an imprint on the surface of the planet.
The existence of these valleys suggests that in the Noachian era, the climate on the planet was warmer than it is now.
The Hesperian era is named after a plain located in the low lying latitudes of the southern hemisphere.
During this period, the intense destruction of the planet by meteorites and asteroids gradually subsided.
However, volcanic activity still continued.
Volcanic eruptions covered most of the craters.
The Amazonian era is named after a plain located in the northern hemisphere of the planet.
At this time, the collision with meteorites is observed to a lesser extent.
Volcanic activity is also characteristic, and the eruptions of the largest volcanoes occurred during this period.
Also during this period, new geological materials were formed, including layered ice deposits.
Is there life on Mars?
Scientists believe that Mars has three main components necessary for life:
chemical elements, such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, with which organic elements are formed; an energy source that can be used by living organisms; water in liquid form.
Researchers suggest that if there was life on Mars once, then living organisms can exist today.
As proof, they cite the following arguments: the main chemical elements necessary for life were probably present on the planet throughout its history.
The source of energy could be the sun, as well as the internal energy of the planet itself.
Water in liquid form could also exist, since channels, ditches and a huge amount of ice, more than 1 m high, were found on the surface of Mars.
Therefore, water can still exist in liquid form under the surface of the planet.
And this proves the possibility of the existence of life on the planet.
In 1996, scientists led by David S. McCain reported that they had found evidence of the existence of microscopic life on Mars.
Their evidence was confirmed by a meteorite that fell to Earth from Mars.
The evidence of this group of scientists included complex organic molecules, grains of the mineral magnetite, which can be formed within certain types of bacteria, and tiny compounds that resemble fossilized microbes.
However, the conclusions of scientists are very contradictory.
But there is still no general scientific agreement that there has never been life on Mars.
Why canot people go to Mars?
The main reason for the impossibility of flying to Mars is the radiation exposure of astronauts.
Outer space is filled with protons from solar flares, gamma rays coming from newly formed black holes, and cosmic rays formed from exploding stars.
All these radiations can cause huge damage to the human body.
Scientists have calculated that the probability of cancer formation in humans after a flight to Mars will increase by 20%.
Whereas in a healthy person who has not gone into space, the probability of cancer formation is 20%.
It turns out that after flying to Mars, the probability that a person will die from cancer is 40%.
The greatest threat to astronauts is galactic cosmic rays, which can accelerate to the speed of light.
One of the varieties of such rays is the heavy rays of ionized nuclei such as Fe26.
These rays are much more energetic than the typical protons of solar flares.
They can penetrate through the surface of the ship, the skin of people and after penetration, as small guns tear the strands of DNA molecules, killing cells and damaging genes.
The astronauts of the Apollo spacecraft, when making a flight to the Moon, which lasted only a few days, reported that they saw flashes of cosmic rays.
After some time, almost most of them developed cataracts of the eye.
This flight took only a few days, while the flight to Mars will take perhaps a year or more.
In order to find out all the risks of flying to Mars, a new space radiation laboratory was opened in New York in 2003.
Scientists simulate particles that simulate cosmic rays and study their effect on living cells of the body.
Having found out all the risks, it will be possible to find out from what material it is necessary to build a spacecraft.
Perhaps there will be enough aluminum, from which most spacecraft are now built.
But there is another material – polyethylene, which can absorb cosmic rays by 20% more than aluminum.
Who knows, maybe ships made of plastic will be built sometime…
Source: NASA
Posted on 2012-10-06 13:46:35
Oysters can change their gender.
During their life, the transformation from male to female and vice versa in oysters can occur repeatedly, and it depends on various factors.
Usually, oysters are born in male form, and then, after eating well and becoming able to produce offspring, they turn into a female.
Advertising Plans invoicesnotable applicationaccount of expenses and shopping lists.
Easy, convenient, always at hand.
SEE ALSO Pavlova Volcano, Alaska.
View from space.
Airbrushing — in the interests of science, Black holes are going to collide Venus is a world of unbearable heat and volcanoes are the most famous geysers of our planet
Oysters can change their gender.
During their life, the transformation from male to female and vice versa in oysters can occur repeatedly, and it depends on various factors.
Usually, oysters are born in male form, and then, after eating well and becoming able to produce offspring, they turn into a female.
Advertising Plans invoicesnotable applicationaccount of expenses and shopping lists.
Easy, convenient, always at hand.
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