Mars, the closest superior planet to Earth, and the fourth planet from the Sun, frequently looks red, so it is sometimes called the red planet.
We know a lot about Mars because it comes closer to Earth than any other planet in favorable opposition, in the best position for viewing, and because we have sent more successful space probes to Mars than to any other planet.
Craters, polar ice caps, volcanoes, canyons, plains, and channels show up on the planet’s surface.
Mars has two distinct seasons: summer and winter.
Until the middle of the twentieth century, many people, including astronomers and scientists, thought there was a good chance there was life on Mars.
New meteoric evidence of possible current or past life on Mars spurred the launch of the Mars Global Surveyor on November 7, 1996.
Its mission was to map Mars, study the climate, and further explore the planet’s likelihood of supporting rudimentary life.
