Hello, beautiful people! Are you interested in learning fascinating facts about Mars? If so, then you are at the right article to search for. Fifth close-up on the planet Mars ‘revised close-up.’ Their peace and beauty are hard to find in the modern world. The democratic leaders of the countries are more dabbled in using the parliament system to oppress others than in democratic activities.
 If I found myself sitting in an aeroplane crossing the Pacific Ocean and I happened to meet a woman of Chinese descent who would be conversational and walk me through their culture and religion, I would definitely define my experience as a valuable one.
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5 Fascinating Facts About Mars That Will Blow Your Mind
Mars Has the Largest Volcano on Any Planet Olympus Moons NASA image
The most astonishing of most Mars facts is that this planet carries the largest volcano in the whole of the solar system – Olympus Mons. Olympus Mons is sometimes referred to as the tallest mountain on the rocky planets within the Solar system. Olympus Mons is a gigantic volcano that rises more than 22 km high from the surface of Mars, almost m… as its base of the volcano, or around 70-kilometre radius around its summit peak.
And it’s not just that height alone, which is mindblowing. Olympus Mons is as expansive as the vegan meat substitutes that are available across the state of Arizona, thus making it one of the most volcanically constructed driven mountains geologically present in the world. Roughly 600 km or more below the volcano’s southern flanks develops a summit plateau and an expansive flat floor of the caldera. Due to the large volumes, which accumulated in relatively thin layers, the volcano is more than 500 km across and covered with low relief.
Even more intriguing is the fact that geologically speaking, Olympus Mons is suggested to be very young. According to scientists, the last activity of the volcano could be as little as a few million years ago, rendering it an active sleeping cone. As Mars has no geological activity in terms of shifting of tectonic plates like Earth, such giant structures as Olympus Mons may continue to grow in height without displacement of the underlying foundation.
The Reason Behind This is Astounding
The presence of Olympus Mons contradicts the nature of planetary geology. Here on Earth, the size of the volcano cannot be larger because of the activities of the tectonic plates. However, on Mars, where there are no tectonic plates, a volcano can grow to unimaginable scales. It is a famous illustration of how much more Mars is, unlike Earth, in spite of the many factors that make these two planets alike.
Mars is Home to the Largest Structure in the Universe Valles Mariners
Valles Marineris is another site on the planet that holds records because it boasts the longest inhabited canyon in the world. The multi-thousand canyons on Mars are over 4000 kilometres in length and about 200 kilometres in width and, at places, are deeper than 11 kilometres. To make that clearer, The Valles Marineris Canyon is thirteen times its depth and three times that of the Grand Canyon of America.
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The Valles Marineris canyon covers almost 25 % of the equatorial circumference of Mars, and scientists think that it appeared after the snowball planet’s crust began to crack some billions of years of methane. Canyons on the earth, in most cases, are made by the water rush as erosion occurs. The Valles Marineris Canyon, however, was not so much curved as it was cut up, causing a lot of tectonic harshness and even some volcano eruptions as well. In addition to the features creating the canyon, some parts of the canyon are additionally bordered by fallen cliffs and landslides. So, the whole structure appears to be quite drastic and raw.
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Reason for Excitement
 The dimensions of Valles Marineris are impossible to appreciate. Picture a gorge that would take up the entire U.S. from California to the very end. This great canyon is enough to prove that Mars is a planet that has experienced and gone through some enormous geological changes and gives insight into the planet’s history.
Water is Found on Mars But It is in Solid Form
One of the paramount concerns of scientists regarding Mars is whether it is capable of supporting life. A significant element of that inquiry concerns water. Water is vital to all forms of life as we know it, and while the red planet appears to be dry and lifeless today, there are indications that at some point in history, its surface harboured an ocean of liquid water.
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Water on Mars exists mostly as ice. Mars has polar ice caps, which consist of water and carbon dioxide in frozen states and grow or reduce in size during different seasons. Additional frozen water is present within the planet’s subsurface, and orbiting spacecraft have observed ice close to the ground in certain areas.
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Also tantalising is the finding of a liquid water body stuck mid-ice under the southern polar ice cap of Mars.In 2018, using radar data from the European Space Agency’s Mars Express satellite, geologists were puzzled by the discovery of another water body deep under the ice. The water in this particular zone is presumed to be extremely salty, and thus, it remains a liquid even when temperatures fall below zero degrees.
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In 2018, using the European Space Agency’s Mars Express satellite radar imaging, geologists were baffled by the discovery of another water body situated considerably deep beneath the ice cover. The water in this particular zone is presumed to be very salty and thus remains unfrozen even at subzero temperatures.
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Mars had abundant water resources several aeons ago. Many formations, such as eroded river valleys, deltas, and lake beds, indicate that there was abundant flowing water on the surface of planet Mars billions of years ago. It is also suggested that there were really large floods during these times, which created the channels we see today.
What Makes This Amazing
Regarding the finding of water on the surface of Mars, the prospect that there might have been or even that there still exist some protected areas with microbes is very encouraging—the level of water that harkens life. Therefore, it is understandable that there is a growing interest in probing the surface of Mars, as it is known to have possessed water that greatly influences the evolution of life.
At first, one may be inclined to believe that other planets, such as Mars, are more similar to Earth than they really are, owing to the presence of seasons, polar ice caps, and the daytime is almost identical in length to that of the Earth. Do not let that deceive you; Mars has a very thin atmosphere that is not conducive to human life. The atmosphere is dominantly gaseous carbon dioxide, averaging about 95%, with a minimal percentage of oxygen and water vapor. In fact, it is only about 1% as dense as that of the Earth, meaning that even though Mars has clouds and winds, they are very much weaker than what we have on Earth.
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Because of this thin atmosphere, Mars cannot retain heat, causing high-temperature differences between day and night. Daytime temperatures can soar to a pleasantly warm 70 degrees somewhere close to 20 degrees Celsius in altitude at the Mars equator; however, during nighttime, the temperatures can reach an abominably low -100 degrees below freezing point -73 degrees Celsius. This stiff variation in temperatures from day to night on the surface of Mars renders it impossible for any human life as we know it to thrive in it.
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Another factor that Mars’ thin atmosphere implies is the level of solar radiation. Continents and Oceans are also interspersed with wandering, active magnetic fields that protect from the Sun’s radiation. However, because the planet does not have strong shielding, leaving only the danger of cosmic and solar rays, people inhabiting its surface must wear significant armour from radiation. If there were to be any forms of habitation on Mars, insecurity from radiation would predispose shielded forms of habitation.
Mars’ atmosphere illustrates its inhospitable nature, forcing humans to rethink the idea of ever inhabiting it. Mars is viewed as a better potential second home for humanity; however, advancing technology will be needed to assist in surviving on its surface with the use of possible underground homes due to cold, radiation, and a lack of air to breathe from the prospective settlers.
The Moons of Mars Phobos and Deimos
Mars has two natural satellites, which are called Phobos and Deimos.These two moons are very strange compared to the ever-known existing moons. Rather than having a fit and rounded appearance like how a Moon of the Earth looks, Phobos and Deimos appear to have been irregularly designed, looking more like asteroids that have been caught rather than proper moons. Phobos is, however, the larger of the two, with a diameter of approximately 14 miles, whilst Deimos is approximately 8 miles across.
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Phobos is often in close proximity to its parent planet, Mars, so much so that its orbiting the planet year after year gets lower. Estimates by researchers indicate that in the next 50 million years to come, Phobos will either hit the surface of Mars or break apart its debris, forming a ring around the planet. Deimos, on the other hand, is also moving away from the planet Mars in a similar manner to which the moon is moving from the Earth.
Mentalist Genius
Those macroscopic qualities, along with the operational attitude of Mars’ natural satellites, explain the history of the ancient solar system. In a sense, Phobos and Deimos are also archeological spoons from an epoch of planetary scars and asteroids. Their past—mainly regarding the possible end of Phobos—highlights the transitory essence of the Universe.
Conclusion
That’s right. Earth is rich with life, which allows all human beings to thrive. But how is it different? Mars, though we can’t stand on it for too long, embraces so many intriguing aspects.
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Many scientists think the earliest research missions to Mars were directed by, among other things, Stanley Kubrick’s film “2001: A Space Odyssey”. It is one of the space-related works, and the well-known director conducted extensive research about the voyages to Mars to compose this film.Let us know did you find this article interesting?
FAQ
- Why do people refer to Mars as the Red Planet?
There are several other names associated with the planet Mars; however, The Red Planet is the one most people will know and cite. The color of the planet Mars is reddish due to the rusting or oxidation and iron oxide on the surface of the planet.
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- What is the height of Olympus Mons?
 Olympus Mons is considered the largest shield volcano in the solar system, if not the galaxy at large. It stands at a height of around 22 kilometers, give or take a few, and has risen 36.6 kilometers from sea level at Mount Everest.
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- How did Valles Mariners come into being?
 Valles Mariners can best be described as the most expensive canyon, not only on Earth but even in the entire solar system. However this canyon was a result of surface fissures filled by tectonic forces at play on the surface of Mars a while back while the planet was still hot.
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- Is there water on Mars?
 Of course, there is water on Mars, though mainly in frozen form. Ice deposits lie deep within the surfaces, and in the region of the south pole, salty liquid water lakes lie under the ice cover.
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- Is it possible for humans to inhale the air present on Mars?
Certainly not. The atmosphere on Mars mostly comprises 95% carbon dioxide, which is insufficient for respiration since oxygen is required. The other thing is that there is no atmosphere on Mars, which means that the ‘air’ pressure is very low, so even if one were to try to breathe there, it would be impossible without some breathing apparatus.
