Mars the red planet Just as Earth is known as the Blue planet,Mars is commonly known as the Red planet. It is the most likely planet to have life-forms on in our solar system because of its perfect temperatures and rocky surfaces. It has two moons called Phobos and Deimos; their names meaning fear and panic.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE ? In size Mars is a lot smaller than Earth. A huge gash called mariner valley cuts across Mars. It is 2800 miles / 4500 km long , 373 miles / 600 km wide, and 3.8miles / 6 km deep.It also has a sheild volcano 21 km high and 600 km in diameter called Olympus Mons.

How far away from the sun is it? Technically, it is 227,943,824km away. It is the fourth planet from the sun . The planets axis is tilted like Earth, so it has seasons but because mars takes 2 years to orbit the sun they’re twice as long.

INTERESTING FACTS Mars takes its name from the Roman god of war. Mars may look red to the naked eye but that’s because it is rusty.