Mars
Mars, or the Red Planet, is the
fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System and is the outer neighbor of
Earth. The average distance between Earth and Mars is 140 million miles (225
million kilometers). Mars is classified as a rocky planet, from the group of
terrestrial planets.
Its name in Arabic is derived from the word "Amrakh",
meaning the owner of the red spots, and it is said that Thor Amarkh means he has
red spots. As for Mars (in Latin: Mars), it is the name of the god that the
Romans took for war. As for the nickname of the Red Planet, it is due to the
reddish color of the planet due to the high percentage of iron oxide dust on its
surface and in its atmosphere.
The diameter of Mars is about 6,792 km (4,220 miles),
which is equal to half the radius of Earth and the second smallest planet in the
Solar System after Mercury.
Its area is estimated to be a quarter of the area of
Earth.
Mars orbits the Sun in an orbit about 228 million km
away from it, or 1.5 times the distance between the Earth's orbit and the Sun.
The smooth Arctic Basin covers about 40% of the
northern hemisphere and could have a major impact on the planet. Mars has two
moons, called Deimos (Greek for terror) and Phobos (fear), which are small and
irregular in shape and could be captured asteroids.