Because of its blood-red color (which comes from iron-rich dust), this planet was named for Mars, the Roman god of war. Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, situated between Earth and Jupiter. Three-quarters red, Mars also has dark blotches on it andwhite areas at the poles—these are white polar ice caps.
Size: About one-quarter the size of EarthDiameter: 4,194 miles (6,794 km)Surface: Canyons, dunes, volcanoes, and polar caps of water ice and carbon dioxide iceAtmosphere: carbon dioxide (95%) Temperature: as low as –305°F (–187°C)Rotation of its axis: 24 Earth hours, 37 minutes, 23 seconds Rotation around the Sun: 687 Earth daysYour weight: If you weigh 100 pounds on Earth, you would weigh 38 pounds on Mars.Distance from Earth: 35 million miles (56 million km) at the closest point in its orbitMean Distance from Sun:141.71 million miles (227.9 million km)Satellites: 2Rings: 0 Return to Planet Index
