This is the Web Edition of "A Trip Into Space", a Coimbra-based electronic book on space science. Both the texts and the photos are by courtesy of National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Mars Fact Sheet

Mars/Earth Comparison


Bulk parameters

                                   Mars           Earth     Ratio (Mars/Earth)
Mass (1024 kg)                     0.64185         5.9736         0.107
Volume (1010 km3)                 16.318         108.321          0.151  
Equatorial radius (km)           3397           6378.1          0.533
Polar radius (km)                  3375           6356.8          0.531
Volumetric mean radius (km)        3390           6371.0          0.532
Core radius (km)                   1700           3485            0.488
Ellipticity (Flattening)           0.00648         0.00335        1.93
Mean density (kg/m3)               3933           5515            0.713 
Surface gravity (m/s2)             3.69            9.78           0.377
Escape velocity (km/s)             5.03           11.19           0.450 
GM (x 106 km3/s2)                  0.04283         0.3986         0.107
Bond albedo                        0.16            0.385          0.416
Visual geometric albedo            0.150           0.367          0.409
Visual magnitude V(1,0)           -1.52           -3.86             -
Solar irradiance (W/m2)          589.2          1367.6            0.431
Black-body temperature (K)       216.6           247.3            0.875
Topographic range (km)               30             20            1.500
Moment of inertia (I/MR2)          0.366           0.3308         1.106
J2 (x 10-6)                     1960.45         1082.63           1.811 

Orbital parameters

                                   Mars           Earth     Ratio (Mars/Earth)
Semimajor axis (106 km)          227.92          149.60           1.524
Sidereal orbit period (days)     686.980         365.256          1.881
Tropical orbit period (days)     686.973         365.242          1.881
Perihelion (106 km)              206.62          147.09           1.405       
Aphelion (106 km)                249.23          152.10           1.639
Synodic period (days)            779.94             -               -
Mean orbital velocity (km/s)      24.13           29.78           0.810 
Max. orbital velocity (km/s)      26.50           30.29           0.875
Min. orbital velocity (km/s)      21.97           29.29           0.750
Orbit inclination (deg)            1.850           0.000            -
Orbit eccentricity                 0.0935          0.0167         5.599
Sidereal rotation period (hrs)    24.6229         23.9345         1.029
Obliquity to orbit (deg)          25.19           23.45           1.074

Mars Observational Parameters

Discoverer:      Unknown
Discovery Date:  Prehistoric

Distance from Earth
        Minimum (106 km)           54.5
        Maximum (106 km)          401.3
Apparent diameter from Earth
        Maximum (seconds of arc)   25.7
        Minimum (seconds of arc)    3.5
Mean values at opposition from Earth
        Distance from Earth (106 km)         78.39    
        Apparent diameter (seconds of arc)   17.9
        Apparent visual magnitude            -2.0      

Mars Mean Orbital Elements (J2000)

Semimajor axis (AU)                  1.52366231  
Orbital eccentricity                 0.09341233   
Orbital inclination (deg)            1.85061   
Longitude of ascending node (deg)   49.57854  
Longitude of perihelion (deg)      336.04084   
Mean Longitude (deg)               355.45332

Martian Atmosphere


Surface Pressure:  ~6.1 mb (variable) [6.9 mb to 9 mb (Viking 1 Lander site)]
Surface Density: ~0.020 kg/m3
Scale height:  11.1 km
Average temperature:  ~210 K
Diurnal temperature range: 184 K to 242 K (Viking 1 Lander site)
Wind speeds:  2-7 m/s (summer), 5-10 m/s (fall), 17-30 m/s (dust storm) (Viking Lander sites)
Mean molecular weight: 43.34 g/mole 
Atmospheric composition (by volume): 
    Major      : Carbon Dioxide (CO2) - 95.32% ; Nitrogen (N2) - 2.7%
                 Argon (Ar) - 1.6%; Oxygen (O2) - 0.13%; Carbon Monoxide (CO) - 0.08% 
    Minor (ppm): Water (H2O) - 210; Nitrogen Oxide (NO) - 100; Neon (Ne) - 2.5;
                 Hydrogen-Deuterium-Oxygen (HDO) - 0.85; Krypton (Kr) - 0.3; 
 Xenon (Xe) - 0.08


Satellites of Mars

                                    Phobos         Deimos
Semi-major axis* (km)                9378          23459
Sidereal orbit period (days)        0.31891        1.26244
Siderial rotation period (days)     0.31891        1.26244
Orbital inclination (deg)            1.08           1.79
Orbital eccentricity                0.0151         0.0005
Major axis radius (km)                13.4            7.5
Median axis radius (km)               11.2            6.1
Minor axis radius (km)                 9.2            5.2
Mass (1015 kg)                       10.6            2.4
Mean density (kg/m3)                 1900           1750 
Geometric albedo                      0.07           0.08
Visual magnitude V(1,0)             +11.8          +12.89     
Apparent visual magnitude (V0)        11.3           12.40      

*Mean orbital distance from the center of Mars.

If no sub- or superscripts appear on this page - for example, if the "Mass" is given in units of "(1024 kg)" - you may want to check the notes on the sub- and superscripts.

Last Update: 2004-Nov-27