26 Fun And Interesting Facts About Mars For Kids

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Although there is a lot of information about Mars on the internet, you may want to know some interesting facts about Mars for kids. Mars is a planet in the solar system which is often studied to see the possibility of life beyond earth since its landscape looks like earth. Galileo first observed the fourth planet through a telescope in 1610 (1). Crediting Mars discovery to one person is difficult since this planet has been observed and studied for more than 4,000 years.

Read on to know some interesting facts about Mars for kids that may intrigue their curious minds.

In This Article

Interesting Mars Facts For Kids

Jump three times higher: Gravity is weak on this planet, so the force allows a person to jump three times higher than they can jump on the Earth. Wondering how that feels? The movie John Carter, with visuals of a man jumping on Mars, could give you some idea.

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Day on Mars: This planet takes a longer time to complete one revolution around the Sun. A day on the Red Planet is 24 hours and 37 minutes long – slightly more than a day on our Earth. A year on Mars is 687 Earth days, which is twice the length of a year on Earth!

First spacecraft on Mars: Viking Landers was the first spacecraft to land on Mars. It touched the planet’s surface in 1976.

Quick tip

The most costly and challenging expedition to Mars ever sent was the Viking project. Until the late 1990s, the Viking expedition was the primary source of information about Mars.

Roman God of war: The naming of Mars has a mythological connection. The planet gets its name from the Roman God of War owing to its fiery red appearance. It is called the Red Planet because of its reddish-brown surface, visible when seen from a distance.

Fourth planet of the Solar System: Planets are arranged in a magnetic sequence that lets them revolve around the Sun. Earth is in the third position, and then comes Mars in the fourth place. Scientists believe that if the distance between Mars and the Sun decreases slightly, then the possibility of life on Mars will increase.

Red Planet: Mars appears red when observed through a telescope from the Earth. It gets that color due to a large amount of iron-oxide or rust in its soil and rock. The planet’s color changes to bright red during an eclipse. NASAⁱXAcronym for National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a U.S. government agency involved in aeronautics and space research. official photo catalog includes several outstanding pictures of Mars.

Second smallest planet in the solar system: With a diameter of 6,791 kilometers, Mars is roughly half the size of Earth. That means it can accommodate only half the Earth’s population should we ever decide to move there!

Geological history of Mars: According to Space Science Reviews, the geological history of mars is divided into three periods, namely the Noachian Period (4.5 billion years ago), the Hesperian Period (3.3 billion years ago), and the Amazonian Period (2.9 billion years ago). These periods describe the formation of the planet and its geological changes during that time.

Water on Mars: Water currently exists only in the solid form on Mars. This happens due to its atmospheric pressure, which is 1% less than the Earth (2). The two polar caps are a source of water on the planet, and a huge landscape of frozen CO²appears in the polar regions.

Eclipse cycle: Mars experiences partial or annular eclipse. It has two moons, which are small and can only block the Sun partially. NASA’s Curiosity RoverⁱXA space rover (vehicle) developed by NASA to explore the planet Mars. captured photographs of the eclipse on Mars (3). The most amazing one, the “Martian moon Phobos occurred on March 26, 2019. Sadly, no one can ever view the eclipse from Mars.

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Climatic conditions on Mars: Due to similar tilts in rotational axes, seasons of the Earth and Mars could have been similar, but the distance to the Sun and the differences in the planets’ orbits don’t allow it.

Climatic conditions on Mars and facts about mars for kids

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Life on Mars: In 2018, NASA’s Curiosity Rover landed on Mars and discovered life-tracing compounds in sedimentary rocksⁱXRocks formed by sediments of minerals or organic particles. . This sample study changed perspective towards life on Mars. Scientists claim that there’s a possibility that life existed on the surface of Mars billions of years ago. Research and studies about that are in progress.

Owner of two Moons: Phobos and Deimos are the two moons revolving around the red planet. Both moons are small and remain covered in a dust ring.

Future on Mars: On July 30, 2020, NASA launched the Perseverance Rover to collect samples on ancient microbial life on the planet. Europe Space Agency (ESA) has plans to launch ExoMars RoverⁱXA joint robotic mission to the planet Mars planned by the European Space Agency and a Russian Space Agency. in 2022. NASA and ESA have a joint project to launch the Mars sample return mission in 2026, which would disclose several secrets about the Red Planet.

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Mars and media advertising: Did you know that Hollywood has produced 40+ movies with the Martian concept? The first short film named “A Trip to Mars,” was released in 1910, and after that, humankind never stopped to explore and discover new facts about the planet. John Carter, The Martian, Mission to Mars, Escape from Mars, and The Space Between Us are a few films set on Mars.

Largest dust storms in the solar system: On a stormy day on Mars, the wind blows at 160 km/hr with iron-oxide dust particles. Mars experiences the largest dust storms in the entire solar system. Storm situations are common there and, at times, cover the complete planet.

Freezing cold: It is twice as cold as Mount Everest on Mars. Its distance from the Sun makes it a cold planet. Mars Equator region experiences temperatures around 20°C, but it remains as low as -140°C at the poles. Climatic conditions may change in the next 25,000 years, and maybe the planet will adapt to an atmosphere favorable to life.

Facts about freezing cold on Mars for kids

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Solar system’s highest mountain: Olympus Mons on Mars is the highest peak discovered in the solar system (4). The volcanic mountain is triple the size of Mount Everest and spreads across the Martian land. It is an active volcanic range that might erupt in the future, perhaps after a few million years.

Quick fact

One reason why the Volcanoes in Mars are bigger and more massive is because Mars’ crust doesn’t change as much as Earth’s does. The hot sites on Earth are steady, but the crustal plates are shifting above them (8).

Red Planet meteors: Asteroid and Meteor showers on Earth are a natural phenomenon. Sometimes, these asteroids first hit the Mars’ surface and later get diverted towards Earth. Debris of such asteroid and meteor showers is scattered across the planet.

Introducing Martians: While we have found no evidence of life on Mars, let alone aliens or human-like species, we have a name ready for the inhabitants of Mars – Martians. The Martian term came from Hollywood, where the alien characters bring the magic of space to the big screen.

These simple facts are enough to pique the child’s curiosity about the Red Planet. Read on as we list some more cool facts about Mars.

Cool Mars Fun Facts for Kids

Mars-One is the dream project of scientists to colonize the Red Planet by the year 2022.

Earth can fit in six Mars planets in terms of volume. Mars is extremely small when compared to the Sun. If the Sun were a typical front door, Mars would be the size of aspirin (5).

Scientists have found rock samples of Mars’ surface on the Earth.

Mars is perhaps the most popular planet of the solar system that captured International media attention.

It is the closest terrestrial planet next to Earth.

The average distance from Earth to Mars is 225 million km / 140 million miles.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How old is Mars?

The red planet was formed almost the same time the other solar system planets formed. It is believed that Mars could be 4.6 billion years old (6).

2. Why does Mars lose water?

Once upon a time, Mars was filled with water with vast water bodies like pools, lakes, and oceans. Currently, there is little water on the planet. The professionals at CaltechⁱXCalifornia Institute of Technology, a renowned science and engineering institution in the world. estimate that Mars lost its water partly to the atmosphere. The remaining became a part of the planet’s crust (7).

These fascinating facts about Mars for kids will make them interested in learning more about our neighboring planet. Also known as the Red Planet, Mars gets its name from the Roman god of war, owing to its reddish hue, which may be associated with bloodshed. There is evidence of water on Mars, and NASA’s Curiosity rover, which landed on the planet in 2018, also discovered life-tracing compounds on the planet. Share these and other hair-raising facts about Mars with your child and quench their curiosity.

Key Pointers

You can jump three times higher on Mars due to the weakened gravity of the planet compared to the earth.
Mars is the fourth planet in the solar system, and scientists believe life is possible on it if there is a slight increase in distance from the sun.
Large amounts of iron oxide make Mars appear red while observing through a telescope. Scroll down for more such facts.

References:

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