Can you see Mars from the Earth?

The Red Planet 
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and is named after the Greek god of war. It is also called the red planet because it glows red in the sky. The presence of rust (iron oxide) Red planet
on its surface gives the planet its colour. 

Olympus Mons Look out for Mars The tallest volcano in the From 27 August 2006,
solar system, Olympus Earth and Mars have been Mons towers 27 kilometres closer to each other than (16.88 miles) above the they have been in the last surface of Mars.

60,000 years! It has begun to appear brightly in the night sky, as seen here while looking south-east
from Poodle Rock in the Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, USA. Now Mars will be the brightest
object in the night sky after the Moon and Venus.

 1. Can you see Mars from the Earth? 
On a clear night, Mars
can be observed with
the naked eye. Between
July and September
the Martian surface
can be observed clearly
through a telescope.

How many moons does Mars have? 
Mars has two moons
called Phobos and
Deimos, which orbit
very closely to its
surface. Both moons
are believed to be
asteroids that were
captured by the
gravity of Mars as they
came close to it.

3. Is there life on Mars? 
The atmosphere
of Mars is 95 per cent
carbon dioxide, 3 per
cent nitrogen and

1.6 per cent argon. Traces of oxygen and water have also been found. Some scientists have claimed
to have found traces of methane. This gave rise to the speculation that there may be life on Mars, since methane is a gas produced by many animals. But other scientists pointed out that methane is
also produced by the mineral olivine, which can be found on Mars.
Martian moon The two moons of Mars are quite small compared to our Moon. They may be asteroids caught by the gravity of Mars.


 What is the surface of Mars like? 

A The surface of  Mars is divided into the northern plains flattened by lava flows, and the southern highlands marked by huge craters. The planet boasts Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system.

 Is there water on Mars? 
A Scientists have found signs of water
in rock layers. In 2006, the scientists saw new
deposits of sediment on the surface of Mars.
These sediments had not been there six years
earlier. According to scientists at NASA, this
is the strongest evidence so far that water still
flows occasionally on the surface of Mars,
though other scientists say the sediments
could have been deposited by carbon dioxide
frost or movement of dust. Samples of the
minerals haematite and goethite have also
been found in Mars. These minerals are
sometimes formed in the presence of water.


The surface of Mars looks reddish brown
due to the presence of iron oxide.


The scientists have also found signs of
frozen water near the South Pole of
Mars. It is believed that huge floods
flowed through Mars about 3.5 billion

years ago. The water from the floods
may have once collected in huge basins.

 Why are seasons on Mars longer than on Earth? 

A Mars and Earth are tilted on their axis in
the same way. Therefore, Mars has almost the
same kind of seasons as Earth. However,
because a Martian year is equal to two years
on Earth, each Martian season lasts twice as
long as the seasons on Earth.

What kind of weather would you find on Mars? 

A The temperature varies from -140 to
20 °C (-220 to 68 °F). The polar ice caps on
Mars increase and decrease in size alternately
in winter and summer. Mars also has dust
storms, which can cover the entire planet.