Page 66 - (DK) Eyewitness - Mars

Did you know?

FASCINATING FACTS

The great Babylonian astronomers Seen from the Martian surface, the Phobos and Deimos might be
and mathematicians of 2000–1600 bc larger moon, Phobos, is only one- remnants of a larger moon that broke
accurately calculated the positions and twentieth as bright as our own Moon up many millions of years ago. This
movements of the stars and planets. Some of appears to us. The smaller Martian moon, may have happened when the moon’s orbit
their calculations were preserved on tablets Deimos, is like a star. brought it too close to the planet and the
made of clay that hardened and were pull of gravity caused it to shatter.
preserved as long-lasting records. Although Mars is little more than
half the size of Earth, the Red There are places on Mars where radar
Planet has the same total land area signals strike the surface and vanish.
as Earth. This is because most of Earth’s This is because Martian dust is too
surface is covered with water, while thick for signals to get through. Landers
Mars is dry. avoid these places because they use radar
signals to indicate the distance to the ground
Martian winds are much when they descend.
less powerful than winds
on Earth because the
atmosphere on Mars is so thin.
This causes even the strongest
winds on Mars, about 80 mph
(133 km), to have little force.
Winds are usually light, around
6 miles (3.75 km) an hour.

Many of the large craters
on Mars are named for
famous scientists, such as
Copernicus, Herschel, Huygens,
Kepler, Galileo Galilei, and Isaac
Newton. Later astronomers Chesley Bonestell’s painting of snowdrifts in a polar region
honored with large craters
A Babylonian clay tablet with an include Schiaparelli and Lowell.
algebraic-geometrical calculation Many other people have craters named So much water ice exists in Martian
after them including Orson Welles, polar regions that scientists believe
producer of the famous “War of the it would flood the planet if it melted.
Mars is often the third brightest Worlds” radio broadcast.
object in our night sky after the
Moon and the planet Venus. At other The sunlight reflected by the Earth, A painting of a Martian moon shattering
times, the orbit of Mars takes it so far away as seen from the surface of Mars, is
that it is much dimmer, like a star. called “Earthshine.”

Viking god Tiu with a bear
on a 6th-century plaque

The Vikings of northern Europe
worshipped their own fierce god
of war. Called Tiu, Vikings honored
him by using his name for a day of the
week: Tuesday.

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