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Mars
Mars is often known as 'the Red Planet' due to the reddish coloured dust that covers it's surface. It is the last of the four rocky 'inner planets'.  It is believed that Mars may have had water once due to the prescence of what look like dry river beds. 
  • Mars has two moons - Phobos and Deimos.  Scientists think that these were once asteroids captured by Mars' gravitational pull.
  • Like the Earth it has polar caps. 
  • Lots of small robots have landed on the surface of Mars to take photos of it's surface and analyse the soil which was found to be rich in iron.  This is what gives Mars its distinctive red colour.
  • Mars has some of the tallest volcanoes and deepest valleys in our solar system.
  • Some of the meteorites found on Earth are pieces of Mars.  

< The surface of Mars photographed during the Pathfinder mission.

Mars as seen from Earth >

To find Mars in the night sky, look for a bright 'red 'star'

 

< Deimos

Phobos >