MARS
The Red Planet · 4th from the Sun · 227.9M km away
Mars vs. Earth Comparison
Atmosphere
Mars has a thin atmosphere — just 1% of Earth's pressure — composed mostly of CO₂ (95.3%), with traces of nitrogen (2.7%) and argon (1.6%).
Phobos
Phobos orbits Mars faster than Mars rotates — it rises in the west and sets in the east! It's gradually spiraling inward and will likely crash into Mars or break apart in ~50 million years.
Deimos
Deimos is one of the smallest known moons in the solar system. Both moons are likely captured asteroids from the nearby asteroid belt, and their surfaces are covered in loose regolith.
Perseverance Rover
Active · NASA 2021–presentSearching for ancient microbial life in Jezero Crater. Has collected rock samples for future return to Earth & carries the Ingenuity helicopter.
Ingenuity Helicopter
Retired · NASA 2021–2024First powered flight on another planet. Planned for 5 flights — completed over 70. Retired after rotor damage in January 2024.
Curiosity Rover
Active · NASA 2012–presentExploring Gale Crater & Mount Sharp. Has confirmed Mars once had liquid water and conditions suitable for microbial life.
Tianwen-1 + Zhurong
Success · CNSA 2021–2022China's first Mars mission — orbiter, lander, and rover. Zhurong explored Utopia Planitia and drove over 1.9 km on the surface.
Opportunity Rover
Complete · NASA 2004–2018Planned 90-day mission became 15 years. Drove 45.16 km — a record. Found hematite "blueberries" proving past liquid water.
🏔️ Olympus Mons — Tallest volcano in the solar system
Standing 21.9 km high (2.5× Everest) and 600 km wide — so large it would cover the entire state of Arizona. Its base cliff is 8 km tall.
🌪️ Valles Marineris — The Grand Canyon of Mars
A canyon system 4,000 km long, 200 km wide, and 7 km deep. If placed on Earth, it would stretch from New York to Los Angeles.
🌅 Blue sunsets, Red sky
Mars has the opposite color dynamics from Earth. The daytime sky looks butterscotch/pinkish-red, but sunsets glow a stunning blue due to dust scattering.
💨 Global Dust Storms
Mars experiences the solar system's largest dust storms — they can engulf the entire planet for months, blocking sunlight and killing rovers (Opportunity, 2018).
🧲 Lost Magnetic Field
Mars lost its global magnetic field ~4 billion years ago when its core cooled. Without it, solar wind stripped away its thick atmosphere, leaving the barren surface we see today.
💧 Water Ice Exists Today
Both polar caps contain water ice. In 2018, ESA's MARSIS radar detected a ~20km subglacial lake beneath the south polar cap — a potential habitat for life.
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