MARS

Mars looks red from afar because its soil is reddish brown. So, people named it after the Roman god of war. It is also called 'Red Planet'. The sky on Mars is pink. Mars is cold. It has ice caps at its poles.

Mars has a giant volcanic mountain. It is about 27 thousand metres high, three times higher than Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth. We could not live on Mars because the air pressure is too low - it would make our blood bubble. The air is mainly carbon dioxide and is too thin to protect us from burning rays of the Sun.

Mars takes 687 Earth days to go around the Sun. It rotates on its axis once every 24 hours and 37 minutes. Mars is about the size of Earth. Like Earth, it is slightly tilted so it has seasons too.

It has two small moons called 'Phobos' (meaning fear) and 'Deimos' (meaning panic). These are also names of the son of the Roman god of war. Man has sent a rocket to Mars a long time ago but no anymore.