Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after
the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron
oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance. Mars is a terrestrial planet
with a thin atmosphere, having surface features reminiscent both of the impact craters
of the Moon and the volcanoes, valleys, deserts, and polar ice caps of Earth. Mars
rotational period and seasonal cycles are likewise similar to those of Earth. Mars is
the site of Olympus Mons, the highest known mountain in the Solar System, and of
Valles Marineris, the largest canyon. The smooth Borealis basin in the northern
hemisphere covers 40% of the planet and may be a giant impact feature. Unlike Earth,
Mars is now geologically and tectonically inactive.
Until the first flyby of Mars occurred in 1965, by Mariner 4, many speculated about
the presence of liquid water on the planet's surface. This was based on observed
periodic variations in light and dark patches, particularly in the polar latitudes, which
appeared to be seas and continents; long, dark striations were interpreted by some as
irrigation channels for liquid water. These straight line features were later explained
as optical illusions, yet of all the planets in the Solar System other than Earth, Mars is
the most likely to harbor liquid water, and thus to harbor life. Geological evidence
gathered by unmanned missions suggest that Mars once had large-scale water
coverage on its surface, while small geyser-like water flows may have occurred
during the past decade.

In 2005, radar data revealed the presence of large quantities of
water ice at the poles, and at mid-latitudes.

The Phoenix Lander directly sampled
water ice in shallow martian soil on July 31, 2008.
Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, which are small and irregularly shaped.
These may be captured asteroids, similar to 5261 Eureka, a Martian Trojan asteroid.
Mars is currently host to three functional orbiting spacecraft: Mars Odyssey, Mars
Express, and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. On the surface are the two Mars
Exploration Rovers (Spirit and Opportunity) and several inert landers and rovers, both
successful and unsuccessful. The Phoenix Lander completed its mission on the
surface in 2008. Observations by NASA's now-defunct Mars Global Surveyor show
evidence that parts of the southern polar ice cap have been receding.
Mars can easily be seen from Earth with the naked eye. Its apparent magnitude
reaches 2.91,a brightness surpassed only by Jupiter, Venus, the Moon, and the Sun.
Mars has an average opposition distance of 78 million km but can come as close as
55.7 million km during a close approach, such as occurred in 2003.
Physical characteristics
Mars has approximately half the radius of Earth. It is less dense than Earth, having
about 15% of Earth's volume and 11% of the mass. Its surface area is only slightly
less than the total area of Earth's dry land. While Mars is larger and more massive
than Mercury, Mercury has a higher density. This results in the two planets having a
nearly identical gravitational pull at the surfaceMars's is stronger by less than 1%.
Mars is also roughly intermediate in size, mass, and surface gravity between Earth
and Earth's Moon (the Moon is about half the diameter of Mars, whereas Earth is
twice; the Earth is about nine times more massive than Mars, and the Moon one-ninth
as massive). The red-orange appearance of the Martian surface is caused by iron(III)
oxide, more commonly known as hematite, or rust.







Main point:
This article is about the introduction of Mars and same characteristics
Supporting details:
1. Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System.
2. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its
surface gives it a reddish appearance.
3. Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, which are small and irregularly
shaped.
4. Mars has approximately half the radius of Earth. It is less dense than Earth,
having about 15% of Earth's volume and 11% of the mass.
5. Its surface area is only slightly less than the total areas of Earths dry land.










Vocabulary:
Prevalent (prevlnt) - existing very commonly or happening often
Terrestrial (tres.tri.l) - relating to the planet Earth
Reminiscent (reminisnt) - making you remember a particular person, event or thing
Craters (kreit) - the round hole at the top of a volcano , or a hole similar to this
Canyon (kn.jn) - a large valley with very steep sides and usually a river flowing
along the bottom
Basin (besn) - n open round container shaped like a bowl with sloping sides, used for
holding food or liquid or a river valley
Tectonic (tektn.k) - relating to the structure of the surface of the Earth and the way
it is formed, changed and moved by forces inside it
Speculated (spek.j.let) - to guess possible answers to a question when you do not
have enough information to be certain
Striations (straiein) - a long thin line, mark or strip of colour
Harbor (h:b) - an area of water next to the coast, often protected from the sea by a
thick wall, where ships and boats can shelter
Rove (rv) - to move, travel or look around especially a large area
Defunct (dfkt) - no longer existing, living, or working correctly