Do you need a break from blah, dull colors? If so, we have just the planet for you! Visit our Mars location and be amazed by the extravagant reds and oranges caused by rusting iron oxide in the soil. Mars is known as the "Red Planet," and its carbon dioxide atmosphere places a blue cast over the planet from a near distance. Scientists are very interested in Mars because of all the known planets, it seems to be the only one besides Earth that was capable of once having life on it.

Mars is the seventh largest planet in this solar system with a diameter of 6,798 kilometers or 4,255 miles, or about half the size of Earth. It is the fourth planet from the Sun at a distance of almost 228 million kilometers or 142 million miles. It completes one revolution around the Sun in 687 days and completes the rotation on its axis every 24 hours and 37 minutes. Its diurnal and seasonal changes are very similar to Earth's, but scientists believe its night temperatures are extremely cold. The daytime temperatures at the equator are thought to very much like those on Earth.

Even though Venus and Earth are called solar sisters, actually Mars is more like Earth than Venus is. Mars has valleys, craters, ridges, and plateaus on its surface as does the Earth. Because there are land forms similar to the Earth's Grand Canyon, experts feel that there once was flowing water on Mars that formed its surface. However, today, the only water that exists on Mars is located at its two poles in the form of ice caps made of carbon dioxide (known to Earthlings as dry ice). During the summer increased temperatures cause the ice caps to shrink.

The heat from the Martian core, which powered Mars' volcanoes, is mostly gone now, and most of its early atmosphere has escaped into space or is frozen in the surface layer. A few thin clouds still punctuate the Martian sky, and scientists think that some pools of frozen or liquid water may be hidden underground. It is possible that this water could support simple forms of life like those found in Antarctic ice on Earth.

Mars has a very thin atmosphere composed mostly of carbon dioxide (97%), carbon monoxide, oxygen and water. Most of Mars' carbon dioxide was used up to form carbonate rocks. The carbon dioxide cannot escape the rocks on Mars' surface, so the atmosphere is very thin which causes Mars to be very cold. The thin atmosphere offers no protection against the Sun's rays so travelers are at risk for solar radiation.

While you are there, you won't want to miss the wonderful sightseeing tour of the planet. You won't want to miss Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system rising 78,000 feet above the planet's surface and about the same size as the State of Texas on Planet Earth. You might want to hike through Valles Marineris, the solar system's longest canyon running 4,000 kilometers. This is a picture of Twin Peaks which would be another option. You would be sure to find some interesting artifacts here!

When departing, be sure to slow down to view the oddly shaped satellites or moons of Mars. Phobos, the larger of the two (21 kilometers across), is named for the human word fear. Deimos (12 kilometers) is named for Panic.

Check out other interesting sites about the Mars:

 More links to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Solar System: