Interesting Comparison of Facts Between Mars and Earth
Humans have been trying to figure out what lies beyond the planet earth for ages. It has driven them to land on the moon, and explore the possibilities of landing on the planet Mars someday. Mars is our nearest planet, after all, with the possibilities of finding life there still not beyond the realm of possibilities.Over the years, NASA has sent a few unmanned missions to mars - Sojourner being the first of its kind. Thanks to these missions and continuous observations, people on earth now have a better understanding of our neighbouring planet. So, let’s find out how similar or different it is to our planet from below.
Life on Earth and Mars
The planet earth is home to some 8.7 million species. In contrast, the planet Mars seems to have no sign of life at all. The closest the scientists have gone to find any sign of life is some possible fossils of microorganisms. The presence of methane, however, is keeping NASA intrigued to explore it further before reaching any conclusions.
Deepest Canyon and Largest Volcano
The deepest canyon on planet Mars is the Valles Marineris, which is 7km deep and 4,000km wide. It dwarfs the Grand Canyon, the deepest on earth with 1.8km depth and 400km width.
The sheer size of Mars landforms continues to dwarf that of earth, even when it comes to the largest volcano. Olympus Mons and Mauna Loa are the two largest volcanoes on Mars and earth respectively, with the former standing around 10miles taller than the latter.
Length of Day and Year
Located further away from the sun than our planet, a day on Mars is slightly bigger than on earth at 24 hours and 37 minutes. A full year on mars is very long compared to earth at 687 days.