Fast Facts for Kids
Mars Facts for Kids

Mars Facts for Kids

  • Planet Name: Mars
  • Planet Type: Terrestrial
  • Region: Inner Solar System
  • Moons: 2
  • Rotation Period: 1.026 (Earth days)
  • Sun Orbit Period: 1.8808476 (Earth years)
  • Discovered: 1610 (First telescope observation)

15 Mars Facts For Kids

  1. The planet Mars was formed from a small part of a giant molecular cloud that had a gravitational collapse about 4.6 billion years ago.
  2. Mars was first observed as early as the 5th century BCE by ancient Sumerians who called Mars Nergal. The first observation of Mars using a telescope was in 1610 by Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei.
  3. Mars is classified as a terrestrial planet (telluric or rocky planet).
  4. Mars’s atmosphere contains approximately 95% carbon dioxide, 2.7% nitrogen, 1.6% argon and 0.7% of other gases.
  5. Mars is the fourth closest planet to the Sun at 141,637,725 miles or 1.52 astronomical units.
  6. Mars is the second smallest planet in our Solar System with a radius of 2,460 miles or 53% the size of Earth.
  7. Light from the Sun takes 12.6 minutes (759.9 seconds) to reach Mars.
  8. Mars completes an orbit around the Sun every 1.8808476 Earth years.
  9. Mars completes a full planet rotation every 1.026 Earth days.
  10. Mars is the fourth hottest planet in our Solar System with an average surface temperature of -85 °F.
  11. Mars has two moons (natural satellites).
  12. Mars is one of the four planets in our Solar System that doesn’t have a ring system.
  13. The first spacecraft to explore and study Mars was NASA’s Mariner 4 space probe between 1964 and 1967.
  14. Mars was the first planet to be photographed using a man-made spacecraft. Mariner 4 took and transmitted a photograph of Mars on July 14th, 1965.
  15. Mars has been the most explored and studied planet in our Solar System due to its proximity to Earth.

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Mars Pictures

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the below images will be helpful for your research on the planet Mars. Below are three various pictures of Mars. These pictures should help you better understand Mars, one of the eight planets in our Solar System.

Picture of Mars by Hubble Telescope

A picture of Mars by Hubble Telescope.

Credit: NASA, ESA, and STScI
The Surface of Mars

A picture of the surface of Mars.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
A Sunset on Mars

A picture of a sunset on Mars.

Credit: NASA/JPL/Texas A&M/Cornell

Planet Mars Resources

We hope you found the above Mars facts, information, data, and pictures both fun and educational. You can continue to research the planet Mars using one of the below additional resources. They were chosen for their credibility and accuracy; you can trust their information when it comes to Mars. Thank you for choosing Fast Facts for Kids.