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SpaceX changes its launch schedule
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Planet Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and probably the most famous representative of the terrestrial group of planets after Earth.
Mars got its popularity due to its relative proximity to Earth and the similarity of some characteristics with our planet, which gave scientists the opportunity to assume the existence of Martian life!
However, as they say in one famous movie: “Is there life on Mars, is there no life on Mars?
Science does not know this”
The history of the discovery of the planet
All the planets of the Earth group were known to people thousands of years ago.
The first detailed observations of the movement of the planet in orbit were made by the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe in the 1580s.
With the help of a sextant, the most accurate astronomical instrument at that time, Tycho discovered a discrepancy between the orbit movement and the available models of Copernicus and Ptolemy.
To help solve this problem, he turned to Johann Kepler, whose mathematical abilities were much higher than Tycho.
It was Kepler who proved that Mars moves in an elliptical orbit, in one of the foci of which the Sun is located.
10 things you need to know about Mars!
Mars is located in the fourth orbit from the Sun; The Red Planet is home to the highest volcano in the Solar system;
Of the 40 research missions sent to Mars, only 18 were successful; Mars is experiencing the largest dust storms in the Solar system; In 30-50 million years, a system of rings, like Saturn's, will be located around Mars;
The wreckage of Mars was found on Earth;
The sun from the surface of Mars looks half as small as from the surface of the Earth;
Mars is the only planet in the Solar system that has polar ice;
Two natural satellites Deimos and Phobos rotate around Mars; Mars has no magnetic field;
Astronomical characteristics
Perihelion 2,06655·108 km Aphelion 2,49232·108 km Orbital eccentricity 0.0933941 Orbital velocity (average) 24.13 km / s Inclination (relative to the ecliptic plane) 1,85061° Apparent magnitude -2.91 m Angular size 13" - 14"
The meaning of the name of the planet Mars
The planet received its real name in the times of Ancient Rome in honor of the god of war Mars.
The red orange hue of the planet, apparently, was associated with blood and destruction among the ancients, which prompted them to choose such a name.
Physical characteristics of Mars
Average radius 3389.5 km Surface area 144,371,391 km2 (0.283 terrestrial) Volume 1.6318 ·1011 km3 (0.151 terrestrial) Mass 6.4185·1023 kg (0.107 Earth) Average density 3.933 g / cm3 (0.714 Earth) Acceleration of gravity at the equator 3.711 m/s2 (0.378 g) First cosmic speed 3.6 km / s Second cosmic speed 5.03 km/s Equatorial rotation speed 868.22 km/h
Rings and satellites
There are two natural satellites in orbit around Mars, Deimos and Phobos, discovered by Asaf Hol almost simultaneously in August 1877.
Their names correspond to the spirit of the "God of War" and mean "Horror” and "Fear".
Both satellites have irregular shapes and relatively small sizes, which speaks in favor of the theory of their asteroid origin and gravitational capture by Mars.
The orbits of the satellites are located very close to the planet.
Recent studies show that Phobos loses 2 meters in orbit height every 100 years.
This will lead to its fall to the surface of Mars in the next 30-50 million years.
However, another theory suggests that Phobos is likely to collapse even on approach to the surface due to increasing tidal forces.
As a result, a ring of Phobos debris may appear in orbit around Mars, similar to the ones we see near Saturn.
Map of the surface of Mars
Features of the planet
Mars is a small rocky planet, which until recently was considered very similar to Earth.
Like the other planets of the Earth group Mercury, Venus and Earth its surface was formed in the process of volcanic activity, the impact of other cosmic bodies, the movement of the crust and atmospheric processes.
Mars has polar caps at its poles, which increase or decrease depending on the time of year on the planet.
Areas of layered soils near the Martian poles suggest that the planet's climate has changed several times.
Most likely, this was caused by a change in the planet's orbit.
Martian tectonism the process that forms and changes the crust of the planet, is different from that of Earth.
Earth's tectonics is based on horizontal sliding tectonic plates.
Martian tectonic plates move vertically, pushing lava to the surface.
Periodically, the entire planet is covered by sandstorms.
The effect of these storms is quite significant.
Thanks to them, giant dunes and various weathered features of the planet's surface appear.
Scientists believe that about 3.5 billion years ago, Mars experienced the largest flood in the history of the Solar system.
There could be so much water on the surface of the planet that it could form lakes and small oceans.
However, at present, Mars is too cold, and its atmosphere is too thin, for water in a liquid state to be on the surface of Mars.
All the water is in a frozen state, and most of it is located in the polar caps of the planet.
But the amount of water that formed huge seas and oceans in the past has not been found on the surface.
According to scientists, the answer to this question is hidden deep under the surface of the Red Planet.
Studying the history of Martian water is an important component in understanding the planet's climatic past, which will help us understand the evolution of most planets, including our own.
In addition, the presence of water is the main component for the formation of life in the form that we know.
There are some distinctive geological features on the surface of Mars, including the largest volcano in the Solar System - Olympus.
Its height reaches 21.2 kilometers, which is almost twice as high as the highest Earth volcano Maina - Keya, whose height is about 10.2 kilometers.
The volcanoes in the Tharsis region are so large that they visually deform the roundness of the planet.
The Mariner Valley is the largest canyon system in the Solar System.
Its dimensions exceed the famous Grand Canyon on Earth by 10 times in length and 7 times in width.
The atmosphere of the planet
The atmosphere on the planet is present, but in a more rarefied form than on Earth (the pressure at the surface is 160 times less than that of Earth), however, even it is enough to form winds and dust storms, the speed of which can reach up to 100 m / s.
The main component of the atmosphere is carbon dioxide, which allows you to retain solar heat.
The temperature range ranges from -153°C near the polar poles and up to +20°C near the equator at noon.
Carbon dioxide 95.32% Nitrogen 2.7% Argon 1.6 % Oxygen 0.13% Carbon monoxide 0.08%
Useful articles that will answer most interesting questions about Mars.
What would life on Mars be like?
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