Mars Planet

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, being only larger than Mercury.  In English , Mars carries the name of the Roman God of war and is often referred to as the Red Planet. The latter refers to the effect of the iron oxide prevalent on Mars surface , which gives it in a reddish appearance distinctive among the astronomical bodies visible to the naked eye. Mars is a terrestial planet with a thin atmosphere, with surface features reminiscent of the impact craters of the Moon and the valleys , deserts and polar ice caps of Earth.

Mars can easily be seen from Earth with the naked eye , as can it's reddish coloring. It's appearent magnitude reaches -2.94 , which is surpassed only by Venus, the Moon and the Sun. Optical ground based telescopes are typically limited to resolving features about 300 km ( 190 mi) across when Earth and Mars are closest because of Earth's atmosphere. The days and season are comparable to those  of Earths, because the rotational period as well as the tilt of the rotational axis relative to the ecliptic plane are similar. Mars is the site of Olympus Mons, the largest 🌋 volcano and highest known mountain on any planet in the solar system and of Valles Mariners , one of the largest canyon in the solar system . Mars has two 🌒 Moon, Phobos, and Deimos, which are small and irregularly shaped.

Mars has been explored by unmanned spacecraft.  Mariner 4, launched by NASA on 28 November 1964 , was the first spacecraft to visit Mars , making its closest approach to the planet on 15 July 1965 . On 20 July 1976 , Viking 1 preformed the first successful landing in the Martian surface. In English the planet is named for the Roman god of war, an association made because of its red color, which suggests blood. India uses the Sanskrit term Mangal derived from the Hindu goddess Mangala.

A long standing nickname for Mars is the " Red Planet ". Mars is approximately half the diameter of Earth, with a surface area only slightly less than the total area of Earth's dry land.