Gravity Pull on Mars
If you were on Mars, it would pull you down with a force about two fifths as strong as the force of Earth's gravity. You could lift objects that weigh almost three times as much compared to similar objects here on the Earth. You could jump up almost three times higher, and it would take much longer to fall to the ground from the same height.
Even though it looks as though you would be like a comic-book hero on Mars, you would still have to worry about the mass of an object. A large object that is moving forward would still crush you if you got in its way, just like it would be a problem here on the Earth, and a bullet from a gun would do just as much damage on Mars as it does on the Earth. A vehicle that travels on the surface of Mars would have the same problems trying to stop as it would on the Earth, but an interesting problem would be that because of the reduced gravity a vehicle would not "grip" the ground on Mars as strongly, making it harder to stop if you are traveling at a high speed.
Who was it named after?
In Roman mythology, Mars was the god of war and agriculture. The planet Mars was named this because Mars is red like blood.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Day and Year in Mars
One day on Earth is only 39 minutes and 35 seconds shorter than a day on Mars (1.026 Earth days). A year on Mars is almost two Earth years long (687 Earth days).
Surface of Mars
The surface of Mars is dry and dusty. The highlands of the southern hemisphere have more craters than the lower areas in the northern hemisphere. One of the craters is the huge Hellas Planitia. It is about half the size of the continental United States.
There is an area on Mars called the Tharsis Bulge which has four huge volcanoes. These volcanoes have not erupted for millions of years. The largest volcano is called Olympus Mons. It is 27 km tall, making it the highest mountain in the Solar System, much higher than Mount Everest on Earth. It is 625 km across and takes up an area as big as the US state of Arizona. Mars also has a huge canyon called the Valles Marineris. It is much bigger than the Grand Canyon on Earth. It is 4000 km long, up to 7 km deep and up to 200 km wide. Scientists think that when the Tharsis Bulge was created, the surface of Mars cracked to form the Valles Marineris.
Like the Earth, Mars has ice caps at its poles. They are made from ice and frozen carbon dixoide. During the Martian winter, the southern cap grows as carbon dioxide from the atmosphere freezes.
In some places, there are channels that look like they were made by running water. So, a long time ago Mars may have had lakes and streams made of water.
There is an atmosphere on Mars, but it is very thin. There is also much more carbon dioxide in it than oxygen. (Oxygen is the gas we want when we breathe in, carbon dixoide the gas we get rid of when we breathe out.) So, we would need spacesuits to visit Mars.
There is an area on Mars called the Tharsis Bulge which has four huge volcanoes. These volcanoes have not erupted for millions of years. The largest volcano is called Olympus Mons. It is 27 km tall, making it the highest mountain in the Solar System, much higher than Mount Everest on Earth. It is 625 km across and takes up an area as big as the US state of Arizona. Mars also has a huge canyon called the Valles Marineris. It is much bigger than the Grand Canyon on Earth. It is 4000 km long, up to 7 km deep and up to 200 km wide. Scientists think that when the Tharsis Bulge was created, the surface of Mars cracked to form the Valles Marineris.
Like the Earth, Mars has ice caps at its poles. They are made from ice and frozen carbon dixoide. During the Martian winter, the southern cap grows as carbon dioxide from the atmosphere freezes.
In some places, there are channels that look like they were made by running water. So, a long time ago Mars may have had lakes and streams made of water.
There is an atmosphere on Mars, but it is very thin. There is also much more carbon dioxide in it than oxygen. (Oxygen is the gas we want when we breathe in, carbon dixoide the gas we get rid of when we breathe out.) So, we would need spacesuits to visit Mars.
Mars
Mars
Mars is nearly 7,000 kilometres (km) wide, just over half the width of the Earth. Its volume is about 15% of the Earth.
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is called a terrestrial planet because it has a rocky surface like the Earth.
It is thought that Mars has an iron core and a crust made of silicate.
Mars is nearly 7,000 kilometres (km) wide, just over half the width of the Earth. Its volume is about 15% of the Earth.
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is called a terrestrial planet because it has a rocky surface like the Earth.
It is thought that Mars has an iron core and a crust made of silicate.
Monday, February 5, 2007
What the Moon is made of?
The Moon is mostly made up of rocks and dust. The outer layer of the Moon is called the crust. The crust is about 70 km thick on the near side and 100 km thick on the far side. It is thinner under the maria and thicker under the highlands. There may be more maria on the near side because the crust is thinner. It was easier for lava to rise up to the surface.
We think the Moon has a small core (center) about 300 km across. The core is composed of solid iron. Because the core is solid, the moon does not have its own magnetic field.
The names Moon and month both come from the ancient Greek name for the Moon, Mene. There have been other names for the Moon, like Selene and Luna. Selene was the Greek goddess of the Moon. Luna was the Roman goddess of the Moon. The Roman people also associated their goddess Diana with the Moon.
We think the Moon has a small core (center) about 300 km across. The core is composed of solid iron. Because the core is solid, the moon does not have its own magnetic field.
The names Moon and month both come from the ancient Greek name for the Moon, Mene. There have been other names for the Moon, like Selene and Luna. Selene was the Greek goddess of the Moon. Luna was the Roman goddess of the Moon. The Roman people also associated their goddess Diana with the Moon.
Day and Year on the Moon
Day
The Moon takes just over 98 Earth days to rotate (spin around) once.
Year
The Moon also takes just over 59.3 days to orbit (move around) the Earth. This is why we always see the same side of the Moon when we look from the Earth. We call this side the near side. The other side we call the far side. In 1959 a probe sent back pictures of the far side. That was the first time anyone saw what it looked like.
The Moon takes just over 98 Earth days to rotate (spin around) once.
Year
The Moon also takes just over 59.3 days to orbit (move around) the Earth. This is why we always see the same side of the Moon when we look from the Earth. We call this side the near side. The other side we call the far side. In 1959 a probe sent back pictures of the far side. That was the first time anyone saw what it looked like.
Surface of the Moon
Surface of the Moon
The Moon does not have any atmosphere. It also doesn't have any liquid water on its surface. During the day it becomes very hot, but at night it is icy cold. A person visiting the Moon needs an air supply and a special suit.
The Moon has many craters on its surface. The largest one is called the South Pole-Aitken Basin and is roughly 2500 km across.
We think nearly all the craters on moons or planets were made by huge rocks hitting them a long time ago. They are called impacts.
Some of the craters on the Moon look as if they have rays coming out of them. These rays are rocks thrown across the Moon by the impacts that made the craters. Some of the craters around the bottom of the Moon may have ice in them.
There are also darker areas called maria (said "MARR-ee-ah"). These are large pools of lava that cooled a long time ago. Most maria are on the side of the Moon we see from Earth. The lighter areas on the Moon are highlands.
The Moon does not have any atmosphere. It also doesn't have any liquid water on its surface. During the day it becomes very hot, but at night it is icy cold. A person visiting the Moon needs an air supply and a special suit.
The Moon has many craters on its surface. The largest one is called the South Pole-Aitken Basin and is roughly 2500 km across.
We think nearly all the craters on moons or planets were made by huge rocks hitting them a long time ago. They are called impacts.
Some of the craters on the Moon look as if they have rays coming out of them. These rays are rocks thrown across the Moon by the impacts that made the craters. Some of the craters around the bottom of the Moon may have ice in them.
There are also darker areas called maria (said "MARR-ee-ah"). These are large pools of lava that cooled a long time ago. Most maria are on the side of the Moon we see from Earth. The lighter areas on the Moon are highlands.
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