Red Planet Day 2023: Red Planet Day is celebrated every year on 28 November. The fourth planet from the Sun is the Red Planet or Mars. It has a very thin atmosphere in this dusty, cold, desert world. Mars is a dynamic planet, with seasons, polar ice caps, valleys, extinct volcanoes, and evidence that it was once more active.
History of Red Planet Day
As far as history is concerned, the Red Planet has had a special attraction for humanity. Many stories and myths are based on the Red Planet, which is also currently the focus of extensive scientific investigation. Commemorating the launch of Mariner 4, the first spacecraft to reach Mars, on November 28, 1964, is the inspiration for Red Planet Day, which is celebrated every year on November 28. After a journey of almost eight months, the spacecraft was launched on July 14, 1965. Completed a flyby of the Red Planet. To facilitate planetary exploration and scientific investigation of Mars, the Mariner 4 spacecraft was built to collect data during fly-bys and transmit that information back to Earth.
Mars’s terrain is similar to Earth’s
An interesting thing related to Mars is that its diameter is almost half the diameter of the Earth. Yet its surface area is almost equal to the dry land of the Earth. Apart from this, the gravity of the surface of Mars is only 37 percent compared to Earth. This means that you can easily jump about three times higher on Mars than on Earth.
Some parts of Mars have also reached Earth
Over time, explosions occur in planets due to the collision of celestial bodies like large asteroids. If the collision is severe, then due to its impact, huge amounts of pieces of the planet are thrown into space with great velocity, which is called ejecta in the language of space science. In such a situation, some pieces of Mars have actually fallen on Earth in the past. These small pieces of rocks, dubbed ‘Martian meteorites’, have miraculously managed to reach Earth.
Fun facts about Mars
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The first person to see Mars through a telescope was Galileo Galilei. The planet’s name, which is related to its red appearance, is derived from the Roman god.
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Due to its greater distance from the Sun than Earth, Mars experiences seasons that are composed of extreme temperatures. The temperature can go from -191 to +81 degrees Fahrenheit.
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The Red Planet’s gravitational pull is about one-third that of Earth. As a result of the different pull of gravity, a person who weighed 100 pounds on Earth would weigh only 38 pounds in space.
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Due to its distance from the Sun, Mars’ orbit is very slow to complete. A “year” on Mars lasts about 687 days, which is almost twice the length of a year on Earth.
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There are no rings around Mars.
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Phobos and Deimos are the names of two moons of Mars.
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Many different gaseous layers surround the atmosphere of Mars. Water vapor, oxygen, carbon monoxide, hydrogen and other noble gases can be found in minute quantities on the planet.
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Olympus Mons, located on Mars, is the highest peak in the solar system. It may or may not be active.