RED PLANET Day is annually observed on November 28 in remembrance of the NASA launch of Mariner 4 in 1964 which was the first aircraft to land on Mars. Also known as the Red Planet, Mars is a planet with cold, sandy desert according to scientists.

In accordance with the launch of Mariner 4, this spacecraft was built to collect data which promoted enabling of planetary exploration and scientific observations of Mars. Let's have a look at some fun and unknown facts about Mars, the Red Planet.

Fun Facts Of Red Planet, Mars

1. Mars is also known as the Red Planet because it is covered in soil, rock, and dust made from iron oxide which gives the surface a red rusty colour.

2. Mars has 2 moons called Deimos and Phobos. They are named after the two horses that pull the Roman god of war, Mars’, chariot. They may be asteroids captured by Mars’ gravity.

3. A day on Mars lasts 24 hours and 37 minutes.

4. Mars is the 4th planet from the sun. It is 227,936,637 km (141 million miles) away from the sun. It would take 300 days (around 8 months) to get there from Earth.

5. Mars has a thin atmosphere made from 95.9% carbon dioxide and 2.7% nitrogen. The atmosphere is so thin that it’s not thick enough to trap the sun’s heat so it is very cold - ranging from -100℃ in winter to 20℃ in summer.

6. Mars experiences violent dust storms powered by the sun which can last for months. The dust storms can completely cover the planet and continually change Mars’ surface.

7. The biggest crater on Mars is Borealis Basin. It is 5300 miles from end to end and covers 40% of the planet’s surface.

8. There is no evidence of life on Mars. However, it is the planet with the best conditions to support life and scientists believe there is potential for life under the surface of mars.

9. Mars has north and south poles like earth. The polar ice caps are covered in a layer of frozen carbon dioxide.

10. Mars has the largest canyon in our solar system, Valles Marineris. It is 4 miles deep and stretches thousands of miles long.