MARS

This view of Mars is a mosaic com-

prising thousands of photographic
Western Hemisphere Eastern Hemisphere Average distance 141,637,725 mi (227,943,824 km)
from the sun:
Closest point 128,409,598 mi (206,655,215 km)
images from NASAs Mars Global to the sun:
Surveyor. The true-color map shows North Pole North Pole Farthest point 154,865,853 mi (249,232,432 km)

P
from the sun:
PL
Linemin a L A
what astronauts would see G
AN
Boreales Scopuli
M M a Length of year: 687 Earth days
UM BOREU
75 75 75 NUM pi
75
ly g ula
BOR EU

ae
approaching the red planet from Earth la mp ym um U
15 mi/s (24.1 km/s)

O
Average orbital velocity:
l

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Oly
Sc n i Ge

Boreale
P
including jagged valleys, craggy a n pia U um a min O an pia Average temperature: -81F (-63C)
Pl Olym

m
di i Scopuli
a C ndae Length of day: 24.6 hours

Sca

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slopes, craters, and polar ice caps. ia s
avi pia

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4,220 mi (6,792 km)
alo e
Equatorial diameter:
Th Olym sae
Ab nda

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Marss surface changes constantly, o li Men 0.107
Abalos Mass (Earth=1):

V V
U
however, so scientists are finding 60 Colles Siton 60 60 60 Density: 245 lbs/ft (3.93 g/cm)

I S
v

I S
Undae edon so
and naming new features each week.
A Aspl ae
Und on
o
A Surface gravity (Earth=1): 0.38

S T L Lo
m
S T L
Axial tilt: 25

I A I T A S A Louth

B O R E B O R E
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Known moons:
For centuries Mars has stoked earthly imaginations, tantalizing stargazers
a y es
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g and scientists with the prospect of extraterrestrial life. Before the space P a n St
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ambe
rlin NT Vo A Tale of Two Terrains s
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Phi
llip Ma H Da Pityusa
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r s a Burroughs
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les
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U Heaviside
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mn s ra rw Rupes Gilbert Hutton

R
Collis, colles: small hill or knob ldi in Mars is a planet hewed by violent, ancient geologic sa B r e y
Schmidt yu a Th Deep Space 2 Probes
Dorsum, dorsa: ridge
M one
y
Lau C forces. The flat, low-lying northern latitudeswhich Pit Pater
es
v i a Liais
(U.S.) Crashed E
r

St Holm
lie

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Fluctus, flucts: area covered by outflow from a volcano

lanum Ray December 3, 1999
ar

yno
ld s
um A phi P 60 appear green on these topographic mapsare coated
phi o m e
t h e i R u p leig
T 60
Ch

Fossa, fossae: long, narrow depression 60 Sisy

60 Sisy
e s h ula
NU

Re
an in layers of accumulated sediment eroded from the P r g Mars Polar Lander
l Lin
O num ethei Planu
Labyrinthus, labyrinthi: area of intersecting valleys or ridges Planum
a P ale
M
surrounding higher terrain. Farther south lies jagged, Pla ut
h Prom m a (U.S.) Crashed
Angustum
N tim
M

Lingula, lingulae: plateau having lobate or tonguelike boundaries

rv
Ly

So Ul Dec. 3, 1999
a
ell

tr
ell

Mensa, mensae: mesa

P us opuli crater-pocked terrainshown here in yellow and Ultim
ish

Mons, montes: mountain c Scop i

PLANU E
A

uli
M AUSTRAL
brownthat is thought to be older. In general the south SUPPLEMENT TO NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, NOVEMBER 2016
S

Palus, paludes: small plain North Pole North Pole

Patera, paterae: irregular crater, often with scalloped edges
75 75 features higher elevations than the north. 75 75 EDITOR: MATTHEW W. CHWASTYK
TEXT: JEREMY BERLIN
Sulcus, sulci: nearly parallel furrows and ridges 60 60
Planitia, planitiae: low plain
Terra, terrae: extensive area
South Pole 60 60 South Pole
MAP EDIT: GUS PLATIS
RESEARCH: TARYN SALINAS
Planum, plana: plateau or high plain
SOURCES: NASA; GAZETTEER OF PLANETARY NOMENCLATURE, PLANETARY
Rupes, rups: scarp Tholus, tholi: small, dome-shaped mountain or hill GEOMATICS GROUP, USGS; NASA/JPL; UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA; JOHNS
HOPKINS UNIVERSITY APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY; CARNEGIE INSTITUTION
Scopulus, scopuli: lobed or irregular scarp Unda, undae: dune OF WASHINGTON; ROSALYN HAYWARD, JAMES SKINNER, AND KENNETH TANAKA,
ASTROGEOLOGY SCIENCE CENTER, USGS
Serpens, serpentes: sinuous feature with segments of Vallis, valles: valley
COPYRIGHT 2016 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PARTNERS, LLC, WASHINGTON, D.C.
raised and depressed elevation Vastitas, vastitates: extensive plain PRINTED AUGUST 2016
30 30 30 30
Elevation
210 240 270 300 330 FEET 69,715 ft METERS
21,249 m 30 60 90 120 150
Misshapen Martian Moons Fourth Rock From the Sun
52,493 16,000
and above
EQUATOR EQUATOR
0 0 39,370 12,000 0 0 From Mercury to Neptune, heres how the
diameters of our solar systems eight planets
26,247 8,000 compare with one another. All known dwarf Neptune
Phobos Deimos planets (such as Pluto) have diameters smaller
30,775 mi
Uranus (49,528 km)
This irregularly shaped moon circles This tiny moon orbits Mars at an aver- 13,123 4,000 than that of Earths moon, 2,159 miles. 31,763 mi
Mars three times a day, orbiting 3,700 age distance of 14,580 miles. Some (51,118 km)
miles from the planets surface. Its scientists say the eight-mile-wide
30 30 0 0
30 30
INNER PLANETS
small as moons goaveraging only satellite may be an asteroid captured Mars
Saturn OUTER PLANETS
13.8 miles across. by the planets gravity. -13,123 -4,000 Earth 4,220 mi
(6,792 km) Jupiter 74,898 mi
Venus 7,926 mi (120,536 km)
88,846 mi
60 60 -26,247 -8,000
60 60 Mercury 7,521 mi (12,756 km)
(142,984 km)
-26,929 ft and below 3,032 mi (12,104 km)
South Pole -8,208 m South Pole (4,879 km)