Mars was named after the Roman god of war, because of its blood-red colour. The planet looks rusty red because its surface is covered with iron-rich soil and rock. There are no seas on Mars, and it is very cold.

Do Mars have ice at its poles?

Yes. Its south pole is mostly ‘dry ice’, which is frozen carbon dioxide gas. At the North Pole there may be frozen water, mixed with the frozen carbon dioxide. There may be frozen water underground on Mars, too.

Is it true? There is life on Mars.

No. Or at least, there’s no sure sign of any. But long ago, Mars had flowing rivers of water, so there could have been life once, and there may be fossils buried underground.

What are Mars’s   moons like?

Mars’s two tiny moons, Deimos and Phobos, are not round like our Moon. They look more like baked potatoes! They might have been asteroids (space rocks) that Mars captured with its gravity.

Amazing! There’s a record-breaking volcano on Mars. Olympus Mons is about 600 km across and towers over 25 km high. It’s the Solar System’s biggest volcano. Long ago it spurted out runny rivers of black lava.

Picture Credit : Google