Named after the Roman god of war, Mars is the fourth planet from the sun in our solar system.
2) Mars is also known as the 'Red Planet' because, well, it is red! This distinctive color comes from the large amounts of a chemical called iron oxide in its rocks and soil.
3) Mars is the second smallest planet in the solar system after Mercury. With a diameter (distance through the center) of 6,791 kilometers, it is about half the size of Earth.
4) It can get quite cold on Mars, much colder than our planet, since it is farther from the sun. At the equator, temperatures can reach 20°C, but at its poles they can plummet to -140°C. Brr!
5) Mars is home to the tallest mountain in our solar system, a volcano called Mount Olympus. At 24 kilometers tall, it's about three times the height of Mount Everest!
6) You could jump about three times higher on Mars than you can on Earth. This is because the planet's gravity, the force that holds us down, is much weaker.
7) Mars has two moons! One is called Phobos and the other Deimos.
8) A day on Mars is 24 hours and 37 minutes, just a little longer than a day on our planet. A year on Mars, however, is almost twice as long, lasting 687 Earth days! This is because it takes much longer than Earth to complete its orbit around the Sun.
9) Until recently, scientists believed there was no liquid water on the surface of Mars, only rocks, soil dust, and ice. But in 2018, they found evidence of a lake beneath the planet's south polar ice cap.
10) Humans have not yet been to Mars, but scientists have sent spacecraft there to help them research this fascinating planet. The first spacecraft to land on Mars were the Viking Landers, which touched down on the surface in 1976.