63 Fun & Exciting Facts about Mars [Free Fact Cards]

Future astronauts and planet explorers gather around! Are you ready to take a trip across the solar system to visit a really cool place called Mars? Thats right! We’re zooming past the moon and heading straight to Mars, the red planet! With its dusty deserts and sky-high volcanoes, Mars is full of out-of-this-world wonders. Buckle up; we’re about to land on some fun facts about Mars that are so cool you’ll want to share with your friends!

First things first: Mars is called the “Red Planet.” But why is it red? It’s not because it’s blushing! Mars has lots of iron-rich rocks and dust on its surface, and just like an old bike left in the yard, the iron rusts and turns red. So when we look at Mars, we’re seeing a whole world covered in rust! how cool is that?

And did you know Mars has the tallest volcano in the whole solar system? It’s called Olympus Mons, and it’s so big that it could almost swallow the whole state of New Mexico! It’s quiet now, but it used to spew lava like a giant space fountain a long time ago.

Mars is a busy place, too, even without any people (that we know of!). We’ve sent rovers to drive around and take pictures. These rovers are our eyes on Mars, showing us what it’s like to be there. They have found rocks and soil to study so scientists can learn more about the planet.

So, space buddies, are you ready to take a closer look at Mars? There’s so much more to discover about this mysterious neighbor of ours. Let’s grab our space helmets and imagine what it would be like to hop along the surface of this red, rocky world. Who knows what adventures await us as we study these facts about Mars!

Don’t forget to download your facts about Mars cards to add to your growing collection of fact cards! Have you grabbed your facts about New Zealand cards yet or your Interesting Facts About Apples cards? Be sure you do!

Facts About Mars

1. Mars contains the largest volcanic mountain in the entire solar system.
2. Second smallest planet in the solar system
3. You wouldn’t last very long on Mars without a spacesuit
4. Mars had water in the ancient past,
5. If you were to drive from Earth to Mars at 60 mph, it would take you 271 years and 221 days.

6. Mars has two moons – and one of them is doomed
7. Mars should get its own ring in the future
8. A day on Mars lasts only 40 minutes more than a day on Planet Earth.
9. Galileo Galilei was the first human to discover Mars through a telescope.
10. During the exploration of Mars, scientists discovered a wide variety of rocks named the rocks: Shark, Stimpy, Yogi, Moe, Cabbage Patch, and Bamacle.

11. In 2018, NASA’s Curiosity Rover landed on Mars for the purpose of exploration and discovered life-tracing compounds in sedimentary rocks
12. Mars’s atmosphere is composed almost entirely of carbon dioxide, while carbon dioxide on Earth accounts for just 0.04% of the Earth’s atmosphere.
13. Mars might still be volcanically active
14. Mars is the second smallest planet after Mercury.
15. One day Mars will have a ring.

16. Mars has quite a lot of methane in its atmosphere too
17. Mars would kill an unprotected astronaut quickly.
18. Mars has frozen water today
19. We have pieces of Mars on Earth.
20. Mars has an average surface temperature of -81 degrees Fahrenheit (-63 degrees Celsius). 

21. The month of March is named after the Red Planet, Mars.
22. Phobos and Deimos are the two moons revolving around the red planet.
23. Mars has a surface area of 55, 742, 105 square miles, almost equal to Earth’s surface area of 57, 308, 757 square miles.
24. Mars was once dominated by oceans until they suddenly disappeared. 
25. Mars has the tallest mountain known in the Solar system

26. Mars derives its name from the Roman god of war
27. Only 18 missions to Mars have been successful.
28. Mars experiences partial or annular eclipses.
29. Mars experiences all four seasons occurring on Earth because its axis is tilted away from the sun.
30. The first spacecraft sent to explore the Red Planet was the Soviet Union’s Mars 1.

31. Due to similar tilts in rotational axes, the seasons of the Earth and Mars could have been similar.
32. The red planet’s atmosphere is 61 times thinner than the Earth’s atmosphere. 
33. Mars used to have a thicker atmosphere
34. Mars has an enormous canyon on its surface too
35. In the early space age, we thought Mars was like the moon.

36. During winter, 20% of water freezes on the Red Planet.
37. Bits of Mars have actually reached Earth in the past
38. Mars is the only planet totally inhabited by robots
39. A year on Mars, commonly known as Martian Year, is equal to 687 Earth days. 
40. Mars has the largest dust storms in the solar system.

41. Mars has frozen ice today but it is thought to have once been liquid
42. You’d weigh less on Mars
43. According to Space Science Reviews, the geological history of Mars is divided into three periods, namely the Noachian Period (4.5 billion years ago), the Hesperian Period (3.3 billion years ago), and the Amazonian Period (2.9 billion years ago).
44. On Mars, the Sun appears to be about half the size of Earth.
45. Mars has methane in its atmosphere.

46. A single dust storm is capable of covering the entire planet and could last for months.
47. Traces of liquid water were discovered on Mars.
48. Mars Has Some Extreme Highs And Lows In Terrain
49. Mars lacks an Ozone layer like Earth as it has a potent dose of radiation when the sun rises.
50. Mars appears to be where probes go to die

51. Scientists project that Mars will have a ring someday.
52. The ancient Greeks named the Red Planet ‘’Ares,” after their god of war.
53. Mars suffers from some seriously nasty sandstorms
54. Mars is a popular spacecraft destination:
55. On July 30, 2020, NASA launched the Perseverance Rover to collect samples of ancient microbial life on the planet. 

56. Mars features the deepest canyons of all the planets of the solar system. 
57. It is twice as cold as Mount Everest on Mars.
58. Mars might be a second Earth in the future.
59.  On the red planet, the sun’s appearance is the same size as it does on Planet Earth.
60. The Red Planet’s southern hemisphere tilts towards the sun at its closest point to the sun. 

61. Mars doesn’t have a magnetic field.
62. The Mars Equator region experiences temperatures around 20°C, but it remains as low as -140°C at the poles.
63. There are signs of liquid water on Mars.

Do you have even more interesting facts about Mars? Share them with us in the comments! Also, don’t forget to grab your free elephant fact cards to add to your collection!