MARS
Mars
is called the red planet because of the red color produced by the rusted iron
on the surface. Mars also has seasons, polar ice caps, canyons, volcanoes and
weather. The very thin atmosphere of mars is made of carbon dioxide, nitrogen
and argon. There are a few mysteries scientists are trying to figure out:
Ø To see if there were ancient floods on mars but
there are only traces of salty water on Martian mountains.
Ø Scientists also want to know if living beings
have inhabited mars in the past or if they can live on mars now or in the
future.
Some
facts about mars:
Ø Mars has had visits from 20 space crafts and the
only planet that has had space rovers sent to.
Ø Mars is a terrestrial planet it has rocks and
soil on its surface.
Ø Mars has a very thin atmosphere
Ø Mars was known in prehistoric times because it
can be seen without advanced telescope
Ø Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos
Ø Mars has an active atmosphere but the surface and
all volcanoes are dead
Ø A day on mars lasts 24.6 hours just a little more
than on earth
Ø A year on mars lasts 687 days that is at least
twice as long as a year on earth
The
speed of light is roughly 300,000km per second mars is approximately 225
million km away from earth.
So
if you travel at the speed of light you will take 12.5 minutes to reach mars
from earth
VENUS
Even
though Venus isn’t the planet closest to the sun it is the hottest planet
because of its atmosphere which contains greenhouse gas and that contains the
heat in Venus hence making it the hottest. Venus is also an unusual planet
because it spins in the opposite direction of all the other planets and a day
on Venus is longer than its year and since it is close to the sun its year is
shorter than earth’s years. A day on Venus lasts 243 earth days and a year will
be 225 earth days. Venus is an active planet with volcanoes it is nearly the
same size of earth but a little smaller. Since a day on Venus is so long the
sun rises every 117 earth days on Venus
Some
facts about Venus:
Ø Venus doesn’t have any moons
Ø Venus, like mars is also terrestrial
Ø This planet also has a very thick atmosphere
Ø Venus can also bee seen at night without a telescope
