Mars, the "Red Planet", is covered with iron oxides ("rust") that give it its distinctive color! (1.6.x) (1.4.1)
Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has the second-most eccentric orbit of any of the major planets! (1.6.x) (1.4.1)
As you run the links above, keep an eye on CELESTIA's clock in the top-right corner of the program's window. This will help you appreciate how much time is passing in each view. Right Drag with your mouse after you run the link showing the planetary orbit for a good sense of its 3-dimensional aspects.
MERCURY
VENUS
EARTH & MOON
MARS
JUPITER
SATURN
URANUS
NEPTUNE
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MARS
Equatorial Radius: 3,396.2 km
Equatorial Radius (Earth = 1): 0.532
Rotational Flattening: 0.00648
Mass (Earth = 1): 0.107
Volume (Earth = 1): 0.151
Mean Density (Water = 1): 3.94
Surface Gravity (Earth = 1): 0.379
Inclination of Axis to Orbit: 25.19°
Rotation Period:
Synodic ("Day" in Earth hours): 24.6597
Sidereal (in Earth hours): 24.6229
Albedo (geometric): 0.17
Number of Moons: 2
Ring System: No
Classifications:
Inner Planet (along with Mercury, Venus & Earth)
Terrestrial Planet (primarily Earth-like structure)
Superior Planet (has larger orbit than Earth)
Orbit: (1.6.x)
(1.4.1)
Period: 686.98 Earth solar* days
Distance from Sun:
Mean (Earth = 1 AU): 1.524 AU
Mean: 227,920,000 km
Perihelion: 206,620,000 km
Aphelion: 249,230,000 km
Velocity:
Mean: 86,868 km/hr
Min: 79,092 km/hr
Max: 95,400 km/hr
Eccentricity: 0.0935
Inclination to Ecliptic: 1.85°
*Earth mean solar day = 24.0000 hours (24h00m00s)
Earth sidereal day = 23.9345 hr (23h56m4.1s)
Information Source: NASA Fact Sheets
Planet Comparison HD vid.
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VIDEOS FEATURING MARS
POSTERS FEATURING MARS