Mars
The red planet: cold, dusty, with the largest volcano and one of the longest canyons in the solar system.
NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA), J. Bell (ASU), and M. Wolff (Space Science Institute)
A cold red desert with the largest volcano and one of the longest canyons in the solar system.
Mars is about half Earth’s diameter. Iron oxide dust gives it its red colour. Its thin carbon dioxide atmosphere has a surface pressure below 1% of Earth’s.
Olympus Mons, an extinct volcano, rises about 22 km above its surroundings, and the Valles Marineris canyon system stretches about 4,000 km. A Mars day lasts 24 hours 40 minutes, and its axial tilt (25.2°) gives it seasons like Earth’s. It has two small moons, Phobos and Deimos.
Moons in the knowledge base
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