Mars is, perhaps, the planet that awakens the most curiosity in us. The eyes of humanity have always been focused on this mysterious planet, and in our imagination even the aliens (the martians) always came from there. But What is it about the red planet that fascinates us so much?

In addition to being one of the planets that can be seen from Earth with the naked eye, Mars is one of the most explored celestial bodies in our solar system and the only planet to which robotic exploration vehicles have been sent. All this makes it the planet about which we have the most information.

Mars, the red planet and the fourth of the solar system

If something characterizes Mars, it is its reddish color. (although it is more of a rusty orange tone) and it is said that the Romans They named him Mars in honor of the god of war. (Ares in Greek mythology), because red reminded them of blood.

In fact, other civilizations also relied on color to name this planet, such as the Egyptians, who called it «Her Desher», «the red one».

The reddish color of Mars is due to the oxidation of iron minerals from the earth which forms this pl, which makes its surface look this color.

Mars is the fourth closest planet to the Sun (after Mercury, Venus and Earth) and the closest to us after Venus. It has a diameter of approximately 6,792 kilometers, about half that of Earth.

A cold planet with a rugged landscape

Although it is believed that billions of years ago Mars may have had rivers, lakes and possibly a large ocean, today research and exploration has revealed that Its surface is dry, arid and rocky.

It has interesting geographical features: a huge volcano called Mount Olympusthe largest in the solar system with about 21.9 kilometers high; and one of the largest canyon systems, Valles Marineriswhich extends over 4,800 kilometers.

Mars has a very thin atmosphere composed mainly of carbon dioxide (about 95%), with traces of nitrogen and argon, making human life impossible in it.

It is, despite what it may seem due to its color, a very cold planetwith an average surface temperature of -62 °C (although it can vary between about 20 °C at noon at the equator and -153 °C at night).

On this planet with two small moons (Phobos and Deimos)a day lasts almost the same as a day on Earth, 24.6 hours. However, a Martian year lasts about twice as long: 687 Earth days.

It is the planet that we have explored the most and the first to which it is expected that we will be able to send astronauts, in the late 2030s.

How to identify Mars in the sky

Thanks to its reddish color, Mars is one of the easiest planets to identify in the night sky, though not always visible.

When it is visible, it has the appearance of a bright star tinted orange-red. To distinguish it from the stars, remember that, unlike them, the planets don’t blink.

At the point of maximum visibility (when it is closest to Earth), the red planet is the fourth brightest object in the sky. When it is further away it is faint and almost imperceptible.

Although Mars can be seen with the naked eyeusing a telescope or binoculars will improve your identification and observation, and will allow you to see the features and details of the Martian surface.

When to see the planet Mars

The visibility of Mars from Earth changes throughout the year due to the relative positions of Earth and Mars in their orbits around the Sun.

The best time to see Mars with the naked eye is when it is at oppositionthat is, when the Earth passes between Mars and the Sun. This is when Mars is closer to Earth and completely illuminated by the Sun and can be seen from dusk to dawn. This happens every 780 days (approximately 2 years and 50 days) and the next opposition will be January 16, 2025.

On the contrary, when in solar conjunctionthat is, when Mars and Earth are on opposite sides of the Sun, the planet can be more than seven times further away. The next solar conjunction of Mars will be on January 9, 2026.

To find out if it is visible from your area and where to look for it, you can consult various online tools, such as Time and Date or the app Stellarium.

Also the Royal Astronomical Observatory of Madrid (@IGN_RObsMadrid), from the National Geographic Institute, shares the main observations weekly with maps of the celestial dome at sunrise and sunset.

How to walk around the red planet in Google Earth

If you want to know the red planet in depth and even «walk» around itGoogle offers a fabulous tool that you cannot miss: Google Earth Pro.

It is a free tool that must be downloaded and installed on the computer and that, in addition to allowing you to explore every corner of the Earth, it also provides the opportunity to explore the sky, Mars and the Moon.

To explore Mars, once you have downloaded and opened Google Earth Pro, you will see in the top toolbar a orange planet shaped icon. Click on it and, in the drop-down menu that appears, select «Mars». A will appear on the screen 3D image of the red planet that you can zoom in and out, rotate and move through different areas using the mouse or keyboard.

You will also be able to read very complete information about different areas of the planet and see detailed images of the Martian surface taken by NASA.