Description
Mars is the fourth planet in the Solar system and the outermost of the terrestrial (rocky) planets. It has a thin carbon dioxide atmosphere which has slowly been escaping to space for billions of years and is too thin to significantly moderate the planet's climate. Enormous dust storms can grow to cover the entire world. The planet's moderate axial tilt and fairly eccentric orbit yield mild seasons in the north and extreme seasons in the south. Mars has the most Earth-like surface environment of any planet in the Solar system, with average temperatures in many locations comparable to Antarctica. Mars has extensive sheets of water-ice on and just below much of the surface, and small amounts of liquid water may occasionally flow in some locations. Mars shows evidence of having had a warmer and wetter past in which water flowed across much of the surface for extended periods. Some of these locations were good environments for life, though it is not known whether such life existed. The surface today, though cold and dry, boasts some of the largest geological features in the Solar system, including a 5000 km rift valley and canyon system, and a 22 km tall and 600 km wide volcano.[1]
Animation of the Martian surface, made by Jan Fröjdman using 3D images taken by the HiRISE camera on the MRO space probe
Map of Mars' surface
- ↑ This article has been adapted from Space Engine's ingame wiki
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