Topic
Institution
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The Planet Mars
Humanity for a long period speculated about any chance of life on planet Mars because of the closeness and resemblance to planet Earth. The search for proof of life started from 19th century and still goes on through telescopic analysis and landed missions (Scott, 2008). As much as early efforts were centered on phenomenology and surrounded by desire, contemporary scientific investigations have insisted on looking for any liquid, substance bio-signatures in the ground and the rocks at the planet Mars’ surface.
From the planet Sun, planet Mars is fourth. Mars was named after the Roman’s god of war and it is the iron oxide present on its surface which gives it a reddish look. It is a terrestrial planet which has a thin atmosphere with outside facial appearance redolent both of the force craters of the planet.
Mars’ distinguished features such as big impact craters, gullies and dormant volcanoes imply it was once more geologically full of life than it is now. Most scientists contemplate on whether it supported water and life in the past or if it still support today. Scientists in the 19th Century wrongly held opinion that they could notice huge oceans. There are numerous information of people in receipt of messages from Martians when they observed the planet through a telescope. Of course, we now have a better understanding of the planet, but we are still yet to unlock some of its most puzzling mysteries (Fairén, 2013).
Planet Mars sit on a 227million km away from the Sun and obtain 687 Earth days to compass. As its orbital pathway has never been sync with Earth’s it passes through a 26-month cycle of being nearby known as resistance and far most combination from us, situated at a distance of 56 million km and 401 million km correspondingly. This difference in distance signifies spacecraft intended for Mars are sent in a open window 26 months continuously, at that time Mars is nearer to the Earth. After that, there was in November 2011, as NASA intended to strike its new Mars rover, Curiosity. The trip time is upwards of 6 months, so Mars will actually be closest on 3 March 2012 (Scott, 2008).
Similar to the other planets, it is supposed that Mars shaped about several billion years ago inside a solar nebula, when dust particles clumped jointly to form the planet. Bellow half the volume of Earth Mars is in fact quite a smaller planet, which is fact due to the fact Jupiter formed first. The gravitational impact of Jupiter a gas giant devoted available material that would have otherwise contributed to Mars’s growth. Mars’ northern hemispheres are younger, and bellow in elevation than the southern (Fairén, 2013).
References
Fairén, A. G. (2013). Mars: Evolution, geology and exploration. Hauppauge, N.Y: Nova Science Publishers.
Scott, E. (2008). Mars and the search for life. New York: Clarion Books.
