Fast Facts: Mars

The following are some facts about the planet Mars:

• Position: Fourth Planet from the sun

• Name: Given its name by the Romans in honor of their god of war

• Moons: Phobos and Deimos (both are only a few kilometers wide)

• Average temperature: -63 C

• Maximum temperature: 20° C

• Minimum temperature: -140° C

• Atmospheric composition (major elements): Carbon Dioxide — 95.32%; Nitrogen — 2.7%; Argon — 1.6%; Oxygen — 0.13%; Carbon Monoxide — 0.08%; Water — 0.03%; Neon — 0.00025%

• Martian Day: 24.6 Earth Hours

• Martian Year: 1.88 Earth years = 687 Earth days = 669 Mars days

• Distance from the Sun: Minimum 206,000,000 km to Maximum 249,000,000 km

• Distance from Earth: Minimum 56,000,000 km to Maximum 399,000,000 km

• Size: Diameter: 6792 km vs. 12,756 km for Earth

• Surface Gravity: 0.38 (about 1/3) times Earth's gravity

• Highest point: Olympus Mons, a volcano about 16 miles high and 370 miles across

• Canyons: The Canyon system of Valles Marineris is largest and deepest known in solar system, extending more than 2,500 miles. The distance from floors to tops of surrounding plateaus is, in places, 3 to 6 miles.