THE COMPLETE GUIDE MARS
All About Space|Issue 124
WE’RE LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE FOURTH ROCK FROM THE SUN EVERY DAY
Charles Q. Choi & Robert Lea
THE COMPLETE GUIDE MARS

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. Befitting the Red Planet’s bloody colour, the Romans named it after their god of war. The bright rust colour Mars is known for is due to iron-rich minerals in its regolith – the loose dust and rock covering its surface. The soil of Earth is a kind of regolith, too, albeit one loaded with organic content. The iron minerals on Mars oxidise, or rust, causing its soil to look red.

The planet’s thin atmosphere means liquid water likely cannot exist on the Martian surface for any appreciable length of time. Features called recurring slope lineae may have spurts of briny water flowing onto the surface, but this evidence is disputed; some scientists argue the hydrogen spotted from orbit in this region may instead indicate briny salts. This means that although this desert planet is just half the diameter of Earth, it has the same amount of dry land.

The Red Planet is home to both the highest mountain and the deepest, longest valley in the Solar System. Olympus Mons is roughly 25 kilometres (16 miles) high, about three times as tall as Mount Everest, while the Valles Marineris system of valleys – named after the Mariner 9 probe that discovered it in 1971 – reaches as deep as ten kilometres (six miles) and runs east to west for roughly 4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles), about one-fifth the distance around Mars and close to the width of Australia.

Denne historien er fra Issue 124-utgaven av All About Space.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra Issue 124-utgaven av All About Space.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA ALL ABOUT SPACESe alt
15 AUTUMN STARGAZING TARGETS
All About Space UK

15 AUTUMN STARGAZING TARGETS

Go on a night-sky treasure hunt as the brighter evenings give way to the cooler months

time-read
4 mins  |
Issue 160
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE WHY IS VENUS SO DRY?
All About Space UK

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE WHY IS VENUS SO DRY?

A new study reckons the answer lies high in the Venusian atmosphere

time-read
7 mins  |
Issue 160
WHEN BLACK HOLES TURN WHITE
All About Space UK

WHEN BLACK HOLES TURN WHITE

Can bouncing black holes help physicists find the ultimate theory of everything?

time-read
8 mins  |
Issue 160
THE MOON'S THIN ATMOSPHERE IS MADE BY CONSTANT METEORITE BOMBARDMENT
All About Space UK

THE MOON'S THIN ATMOSPHERE IS MADE BY CONSTANT METEORITE BOMBARDMENT

While the solar wind also contributes to the atmosphere, meteorites are the main culprit

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 160
INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL AND HOW TO BECOME A SPACE TOURIST
All About Space UK

INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL AND HOW TO BECOME A SPACE TOURIST

Having explored much of the Solar System, attention is now turning to the stars beyond

time-read
6 mins  |
Issue 160
NASA'S PERSEVERANCE ROVER FINDS POSSIBLE SIGNS OF ANCIENT RED PLANET LIFE
All About Space UK

NASA'S PERSEVERANCE ROVER FINDS POSSIBLE SIGNS OF ANCIENT RED PLANET LIFE

Further analysis is needed, but a rock contains potential evidence that life once existed on Mars in the distant past

time-read
2 mins  |
Issue 160
A NASA TELESCOPE MAY HAVE FOUND ANTIMATTER ANNIHILATING IN POSSIBLY THE BIGGEST EXPLOSION SINCE THE BIG BANG
All About Space UK

A NASA TELESCOPE MAY HAVE FOUND ANTIMATTER ANNIHILATING IN POSSIBLY THE BIGGEST EXPLOSION SINCE THE BIG BANG

The massive explosion was captured in 2022

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 160
Jameel Janjua "This is how we get to Mach 3”
All About Space UK

Jameel Janjua "This is how we get to Mach 3”

Jameel Janjua made it to the bitter end in a Canadian government astronaut selection in 2009, but wasn't chosen. He found a different path to space through Virgin Galactic

time-read
7 mins  |
Issue 160
BOEING NEEDS TO IMPROVE QUALITY CONTROL ON THE SLS MOON ROCKET
All About Space UK

BOEING NEEDS TO IMPROVE QUALITY CONTROL ON THE SLS MOON ROCKET

The NASA Inspector General's report finds serious quality-control issues affecting the upgraded version and expects cost overruns and delays

time-read
3 mins  |
Issue 160
DARK ENERGY
All About Space UK

DARK ENERGY

THE MOST DOMINANT FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE IS ALSO ITS MOST MYSTERIOUS AND MOST UNANTICIPATED

time-read
10 mins  |
Issue 160