This view of Mars is a mosaic com- Average distance 141,637,725 mi (227,943,824 km) from the sun: prising thousands of photographic Western Hemisphere Eastern Hemisphere Closest point 128,409,598 mi (206,655,215 km) images from NASA’s Mars Global to the sun: 154,865,853 mi (249,232,432 km) Surveyor. The true-color map shows North Pole North Pole Farthest point from the sun: what astronauts would see P Boreales Scopuli Ge P Length of year: 687 Earth days O L M L m L a e 75° O l A 75° 75° in ina A M i a 75° approaching the red planet from Earth— P y N EU g p d Average orbital velocity: 15 mi/s (24.1 km/s) ly l m UM R ula N U m n S m a p BO UM RE ly m c p nu ia G BO O u U Average temperature: -81°F (-63°C) including jagged valleys, craggy S a ia m e an ia c n U m i l p a d n n i S P lym Length of day: 24.6 hours n i d Chasma c O Boreale o p u l i slopes, craters, and polar ice caps. d a ae ia C Equatorial diameter: 4,220 mi (6,792 km) T av h i Olympia Korolev Mars’s surface changes constantly, ol Abalos Mass (Earth=1): 0.107 i Undae Abalos Mensae however, so scientists are finding 60° Colles Siton 60° 60° 60° Density: 245 lbs/ft³ (3.93 g/cm³) Undae and naming new features each week. V Aspledon V Surface gravity (Earth=1): 0.38 A Undae S A S Axial tilt: 25° I Lomonosov I S S Known moons: 2 T L MARS T Louth L I A For centuries Mars has stoked earthly imaginations, tantalizing stargazers I A a C o l T R E T R E a n d i l e s A S B O Ortygia A S B O S c and scientists with the prospect of extraterrestrial life. Before the space Stokes Phoenix (U.S.) Kunowsky Colles P a n A age the planet was thought to be Earthlike—a potential home to A c h Milankovič Landed I I a A e L i R a May 25, 2008 L A I A a č s civilization. But as technology improved, a cold, dry world D Micoud R C 45° A r e a A 45° I I T u A I D 45° p 45° D o E I C N C P D A D s xtent of seasonal frost C Acidalia came into focus. Shrouded by a thin atmosphere of A A y ē I C a A d s h A A R Colles L Lyot Extent of seasonal frost n u a s A P s A i I carbon dioxide, the inhospitable surface is one n l I s ki R u P T d T ey D p e L I o e I Acidalia m e ē s Ismenia e s u N a Perepelkin N Mensa of the most rugged in the solar system. S te g A A c s Patera e r Mie T P P L a A on Pyramus U r yn N F l i da r L lus P ll I P Bamberg l r Fossae t Viking 2 (U.S.) A s Cydonia o Vivero a h T o o M t s o a e o o g n Landed e Barabashov ns i I t s a l l s Labyrinthus n V e u A n s Bonestell e s p September 3, 1976 F Cydonia a Moreux M o l e l M v e M o Colles s Ismeniae a e u a i n a a V o s a k r Fossae s F Sinton a a N g u l Timoshenko s O e e ier A C b s Sytinskaya Sklodowska C I n b Ascuris P Bree m o e Alba Mons r o O C r a s s T h t l l Renaudot U r a R i H l C n 30° on Gonnus Mons i 30° 30° o c r a 30° Dorsum E r o o Aesacus e F TEMPEo Kufra ot a e t Eden Patera M e l e h o Alba Tanaica Montes t R R A l u ag d c C E e u s T e A Patera F CYDONIA Maggini T s i V s s o F A n A D N j a y d n p a a Tartarus a i l r l Adams s MENSAE A o i m V l Galaxias a e a e u E A a l i D t Planum I s l Colles c e S Rudaux ē s H es s Chaos Hecates n r Y Quenisset s u s L e a l R Curie B Ni t a a e Tholus e H F p Cerulli a l p s b o a C o s a Nilokeras e u p A e s s y u y r A s T l m r C Bacolor h G F a M Scopulus t o l in r St Lockyer r t R h i l e a y M s e s s g i n h a n is o TERRA t i A c A u M h c F Z a T u Z Z l o s o s s T A k e u e s O Luzin s V e s t t M n a a N F A a i s u s a l p e I S T I q l s s le a l h T e T u a n I a N Oyama a Becquerel A a e s S a R t y S s e S A w V Uranius Sharonov n e s L A Uranius s e P r r t l Oxia t u u a u Mons l h r A Elysium Cyane a Tholus s s k s a V e I t s Tooting i i a Colles s i C i T o o V a Cassini n I F Mons e R Sulci Tractus l N S e s u p n A Flammarion P L A o K s u e l a Peridier l a s Viking 1 (U.S.) m i e s l p s c Uranius F Mars Pathfinder (U.S.) T Elysium E i u Fossae s a s X l R l m p u i SACRA MENSA C a y s T u Patera Landed u Chasma e s l m e a t Landed l s o H o y a u i e u o i u Olympus Mons l Baldet r s c e Rutherford o l p N l O r Ceraunius s g l O s Fesenkov July 20, 1976 July 4, 1997 B e l h C P Highest point on Mars o a F e a C a A I N p O L F e r Tholus i Pasteur e d n Antoniadi s V A s d i st Albor c c X Schöner N T us 15° 69,715 ft t F Radau 15° l u ē I C a 15° Gill V M s 15° e T S a i s Tholus t I o n Trouvelot a A a F a 195° 21,249 m a a r lli s I s s u r Sulci s t 345° 15° E o 165° S Orcus c N s h s y a y e s r a r V e V a r s V e U Patera M 210° Gordii Jovis b a 30° K K e 330° Jezero 150° M e a a e C Toro ISIDIS R 225° Tholus o A 45° L V o 315° 135° t L L n a u A Pettit O s 240° 60° 120° 300° l t a e e 255° 270° 285° e s Marth s 75° 90° 105° T r l s a l y p D C Tikhonravov u t h e s R m a l l m e n C a v a u l A a p s h e s i u s R Masursky s A s r R s r Eddie T E c h u s y l s N T s Ascraeus Mons s epe o o L U N A E s Henry e nt C i i l a he D Danielson L e a e V S Y R T I S s l F l e h P r Tharsis Tholus Sagan PLANITIA e l b l l t a Arago s V o n e C T Gigas a u u r r a u a s V a s c n m h A N a s C l s C E Nili Beagle 2 (U.K.) e e F e r V a o Sulci l s a e u P a l u s l a N E e s l a l s s c o Patera P a m m o r r e k e s Landed, contact lost E b s s N a Galilaei Ehden s F T Athabasca b e l E t A y PLANUM e R R Valles G y H S a n e n Echus o December 25, 2003 Poynting a Capen M o l M A J O R E H E r i a e a n N S d r E Montes t s A S E u a L d Crommelin U e n S i g A Y e j A s Hibes i s a E s S i u R V Du Martheray m s XANTHE s e a t s m I Ulysses T b R a T D D s Hydaspis e Montes r l l t P U o s o Aram l e n h Tombaugh o a o s i a Tholus a s n l n M r Gigas F Orson t o r o a s N F Chaos Firsoff Leighton h h h o t Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity s E l F Chaos L n i u l Teisserenc e u s A i M h A S S b A m Fossae e Welles P L A N U M y a u s m u e (U.S.) P O R Janssen e Nich Biblis h M v s Hydraotes de Bort a m R ol i s u e o Z so c a l q s p L n l Da Vinci T Landed l Tholus E H Chaos r e e o e Amazonis Pavonis Mons M EQUATOR a a EQUATOR s i P p A Ju V 0° 0° Tuscaloosa Z ll August 6, 2012 l s 0° 0° Hebes v i l h ent Mutch a S a Medusae Mensa e ae A V Escalante s y N e D e s a Iani n N a Chasma o N A i s r A r r m s m Fossae S a s u t Fo a P e p i I A e Schroeter T a s ithonia TERRA Chaos o m a c E e l u I s Ophir R T Lucus g Schiaparelli r l V n T o Perrotin Robert O a is a Tit o o honiu O s m m Aureum i n Ch Mars Exploration Fournier a N a Chasma n n s L D S F m n I a V l Sharp M M Meridiani o a i I u T Chaos E a e l t T V Rover-B, Meridiani V r p i S A l Ca Ophir l o m s R I n s a Gale p u s d s s a Arsia C o S l n a a a Arsia h a r Opportunity (U.S.) o i s C Jarry-Desloges g M P Sulci e is Laby m ha z s O n l ct r a sm Ganges Ch a s AvernusDorsa o i asm F r Pollack o l u Planum n A n a a B e E F Mons N th Lou Landed le n a e r a l l s Knobel N s Memnonia o u os V a t o s g al Planum V S s H s les I January 25, 2004 Planum t P Briault Lasswitz A r r r i C Apollinaris u s Melas Planum a Aurorae L i i s a e E Sulci a e m Dawes i r a S ra h Margaritifer V b Mons c T y Chasma Co ro s Chaos A a e l Syria p a V r u a T r u Marca r ai ate A Chaos S i u Reuyl a i Oudemans n s C um h l c o p u l s Wien a i L a h n C l S s as la C D C r A m I s Sinai o a P r i e e o V o D p l Cobres Planum a l Huygens s r de Vaucouleurs l L C a Mädler s l López Herschel a V E s B a e e s R vro M Burton C s a L a V Boeddicker l Planum s E S o v V s s a alli a o l L I A o M E r l s E D A F a A l TYRRHENA A l S o L M a s T e a D C i s Arima A i i Gusev s r M s l s s a o Saheki l o l a n o R Beer A F i Lassell I G i a a a a S D Denning Millochau HESPERIA V l I Jones r a s N R Kamativi g r r a Williams E e r Flaugergues Hadley n a e Tyrrhenus r 15° 15° a M l R 15° 15° Cankuzo i i U e Thaumasia a h A M i a i Mons A s Vinogradov s V a t N s M E A s Harris Q s e k L r A a Bouguer E a - t P o e o l i Comas S Ibragimov l Graff L I l Schaeberle A Mars Exploration O D a F s l s S l TERRA Soffen h Lambert e Ausonia Sola s Roddy l u a s l M l s M s s U a a A N i s e PLANUM Rover-A, Spirit (U.S.) u A I P L l i Isil Montes I o Planum u o Kasimov u a p s R p S s l S F r V Peta l Müller o Wislicenus o Landed s s a V I Hadriacus u Bernard s u V c t Holden c o u a Mazamba Terby p p S l c S H a January 4, 2004 F e e e a Palus Savich o o s Dollfus s o p o i i M N r C s m c R c t a Ritchey Mars 6 Bakhuysen Niesten e t d a l d l i s Hadriacus s S S l a i e a b s b i R A a R Ostrov N F y n y d (U.S.S.R.) V l s l Mons k a a Mons r o r l s m e i l l a Pál a a O a l Dejnev n A w a l o i l s Crashed u s a P a s ' h m Koval'sky c h i i y o e y y Lowest point on Mars v l V e F m Bunge r o s l l Molesworth C a u C a Coronae W c u r c a S March 12, 1974 a M s n Bond Fo h a m N l V S s S -26,929 ft N Pickering la Ogygis s a s b Montes a r m s o s e k e M e E R F P Rupes a h l Peneus -8,208 m V ig Avarua u is s e s l N s ac o a a Palus o n or r Sumgin Hale B V a Hellas E R I D A Martz e C o R D N I A Columbus r I a p Montes i c s s Shatskiy H Langtang a o hi R Greg P L A S e N M r e e Alpheus A i a B s Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area Projection ak e I T I A a e l m s u Magelhaens s p 30° l r li l 30° 30° u 30° e l P s R SCALE 1:28,249,000 Colles T I A Ha a l s Arrhenius l o s d u m M R s L A N I V V l i Ariadnes a F ro e i o Hartwig 1 CENTIMETER = 282 KILOMETERS; 1 INCH = 446 MILES p A S P a l Mariner us n po r n o L L u s Le Verrier n H E ch m a o e t Vogel 0 250 500 750 1000 Hunten Colles r B N e A t s Krishtofovich M a i Rabe u h a o Extent A p s s STATUTE MILES s C Z of seas