How far is Mars from the Sun?

	Mars is the fourth closest planet to the Sun.
	It is between Earth and Jupiter.
	Mars has an average distance of 141.6 million miles or 229 million kilometers from the Sun.
	Mars is  1.52 AU* from the Sun.

How big is Mars? 

	Mars is about half the size of the Earth; it is about .53 the size of Earth.
	Mars is the seventh largest planet.  This means that only one planet is smaller, Mercury.
	Mars has a diameter of 4,222 miles (6800 kilometers), about half that of Earth.

Why is this planet named Mars?

	Mars was given its name by the Romans in honor of their god of war, Mars.
	Mars was a favorite god of the Romans.
	Legends say that Mars was the father of Romulus and Remus, twins who were said to have founded Rome.
	The blood-like color of the planet reminded the ancients of their bloody wars.

Picture of the surface of Mars	Picture of the surface of Mars

       

	Mars is called the Red Planet because it has a red or pink hue when viewed from Earth.  It is this color thanks to the large amounts of dust that cover it. The dust, an iron-rich material that forms as a product of weathering, coats the planet like a mantle of rust.
	Mars has been known to humans since ancient times. The Egyptians name for Mars is Har Decher  which means, The Red One.
	Mars has two moons named Phobos and Deimos.  The moons are named after the mythical horses that drew the chariot of the Roman war god Mars.
	We are learning more about the surface of the planet all the time.
	We now know that Mars has the largest volcano in the solar system.  It is called Olympus Mons and is three times higher that Mount Everest, Earth's highest mountain.
	Mars has a canyon that would stretch from California to New York.
	Mars has evidence of liquid water and huge floods. Liquid water is thought to have disappeared on Mars about 3 billion years ago.