Temperature on Mars during the day. Planets of the Solar System. Temperature on Mars

Although climate of Mars closest to the earthly, it is unfavorable for life.

The atmosphere of this planet is more rarefied compared to the atmosphere of the Earth. It contains ninety-five percent carbon dioxide, four percent nitrogen and argon, and only one percent oxygen and water vapor.

Compared to Earth, the average atmospheric pressure on Mars is one hundred and sixty times less. Due to evaporation in the summer and condensation in the winter, as well as a large amount of carbon dioxide at the poles, in the polar caps, the mass of the atmosphere changes greatly throughout the year.

Despite the fact that the Martian atmosphere contains very little water vapor, at low temperatures and pressures, being in a state close to saturation, it often collects into clouds. Observations made by spacecraft have shown that there are wavy, cirrus and lee clouds on Mars.

During the cold season, there is often fog at the bottom of craters and over lowlands. Sometimes thin snow falls.

Spacecraft studies have shown that there is currently no liquid water on Mars, but there is evidence of its presence in the past. In July 2008, NASA's Phoenix spacecraft discovered ice-like water in the ground. The average temperature on Mars is about -40 degrees Celsius. On the daytime half of the planet, summer temperatures rise to 20 degrees Celsius, but in winter night temperatures can drop to -125 degrees Celsius.

The thin atmosphere of Mars cannot retain heat for long, which explains the sudden temperature changes. Thus, we can say that Mars has a rather harsh climate, but it is not much colder there than in Antarctica.

Due to the temperature difference, strong winds often blow on Mars. Their speed reaches one hundred meters per second. Thanks to the low force of gravity, the winds raise huge clouds of dust. Long-lasting dust storms often rage on Mars. For example, one of them raged from September 1971 to January 1972 and raised about a billion tons of dust into the atmosphere to a height of ten kilometers. Temperature changes are also associated with the formation of dust devils on Mars.

The Earth's rotation axis is inclined to the orbital plane by 23.4 degrees, and that of Mars by 23.9 degrees; the Martian days almost coincide with the Earth's, therefore, on Mars, as on Earth, there is a change of seasons. In the polar regions, seasonal changes are most pronounced. In winter, the polar caps occupy a large area. Winter in the southern hemisphere is long and cold, while in the northern hemisphere it is short and relatively moderate. In spring, the polar caps shrink significantly, but even in summer they do not disappear completely. And summer on Mars in the southern hemisphere is short and relatively warm, in the northern hemisphere it is long and cool.

Mars is further from the Sun than Earth, so, as you would expect, temperatures on Mars are colder. For the most part, the planet is very cold. The only exceptions are summer days at the equator. Even at the equator, temperatures on the planet Mars drop below zero at night. On summer days, during the day it can be around 20 degrees Celsius, but at night it drops to -90 C.

Orbit

Mars has a highly elliptical orbit, so the temperature changes quite a bit as the planet orbits the Sun. Since it has an axis tilt similar to Earth’s (25.19 on Mars, and 26.27 on Earth), the planet has seasons. Add to this a thin atmosphere, and you can understand why the planet is unable to retain heat. The Martian atmosphere consists of more than 96% carbon dioxide. If the planet were able to retain an atmosphere, then carbon dioxide would cause a greenhouse effect that would warm it.

Traces of water erosion, image from Mars Odyssey

Orbiters have transmitted images that indicate erosion caused by liquid water. This indicates that Mars was once significantly warmer and wetter. Erosion has not disappeared because there is currently no liquid water or plate tectonics to greatly alter the landscape. There is wind, but it is not strong enough to change the surface.

The importance of a warm climate

The presence of warm weather and liquid water is important for several reasons. One of them is that liquid water is essential for the evolution of life. Some scientists still believe that microbial life exists deep below the surface, where it is warmer and water can exist in liquid form.

Colonization

If humans ever colonize the planet, they must have sources of water. The manned mission will take about two years, and the amount of cargo on board the ship will be limited. One solution is that water ice could be melted and then purified, but finding liquid water would be even more practical.

Temperature is a minor obstacle to early human exploration of the planet, while the availability of water is much more significant. All we have to do is find a way to get to Mars and back without having to spend two years in cramped spacecraft.

The god of war, Mars, in the ancient Roman pantheon was considered the father of the Roman people, the guardian of fields and domestic animals, and then the patron of equestrian competitions. The fourth planet from the Sun is named after him. Probably, the blood-red appearance of the planet evoked associations with war and death among the first observers. They even received corresponding names - Phobos (“fear”) and Deimos (“horror”).

Red riddle

Each planet has its mysteries, but none of them intrigued earthlings as much as Mars. The unusual red appearance of the planet remained inexplicable for a long time; it was also interesting what the temperature was on Mars, and whether its color depended on this. Today, every schoolchild knows that the abundant content of iron minerals in the Martian soil gives it such a color. And in the past there were some questions to which the most inquisitive minds of earthlings sought answers.

Cold planet

In terms of age, this planet is the same as the Earth and the rest of its neighbors in the solar system. Scientists suggest that her birth occurred 4.6 billion years ago. And although not everything in the history of the planet’s development has yet been clarified, much has already been established, including what the temperature is on Mars.

Relatively recently, large thicknesses of ice deposits were discovered at the poles in both hemispheres. This is evidence that liquid water once existed on the planet. And the temperature of Mars may have been completely different. Many scientists assume that if there is ice on the surface, then water must be preserved in the rocks. And the presence of water is confirmation that there was once life here.

It has been established that the planet's atmosphere has a density 100 times less than that of Earth. But despite this, clouds and wind form in the layers of the Martian atmosphere. Huge dust storms sometimes rage above the surface.

What is the temperature on Mars is already known, and thanks to the data obtained, we can conclude that it is much colder on the red neighbor than on Earth. In the region of the poles, a temperature of -125 degrees Celsius was recorded in winter, and the highest in summer reaches +20 degrees in the equator region.

How is it different from Earth?

There are many differences between the planets, some of them quite significant. Mars is much smaller in size than Earth, twice as large. And the planet is located much further from the Sun: the distance to the star is almost 1.5 times further than that of our planet.

Since the mass of the planet is relatively small, it is almost three times less than on Earth. On Mars, just like on our planet, there are different seasons, but their duration is almost twice as long.

Unlike Earth, Mars, whose air temperature averages -30...-40°C, has a very rarefied atmosphere. Its composition is dominated by carbon dioxide, which suggests that the temperature on Mars near the surface does not change significantly throughout the day. For example, at noon it can be -18° C, and in the evening - already -63° C. At night, temperatures at the equator were recorded at 100 degrees below zero.

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The planet Mars has an equatorial diameter of 6787 km, i.e. 0.53 of Earth's. The polar diameter is slightly smaller than the equatorial diameter (6753 km) due to polar compression equal to 1/191 (versus 1/298 for the Earth). Mars rotates around its axis in almost the same way as the Earth: its rotation period is 24 hours. 37 min. 23 seconds, which is only 41 minutes. 19 sec. longer than the Earth's rotation period. The rotation axis is inclined to the orbital plane at an angle of 65°, almost equal to the angle of inclination of the earth's axis (66°.5). This means that the change of day and night, as well as the change of seasons on Mars proceed almost the same as on Earth. There are also climatic zones similar to those on Earth: tropical (tropical latitude ±25°), two temperate and two polar (polar latitude ±65°).

However, due to the distance of Mars from the Sun and the rarefied atmosphere of the planet, the climate of the planet is much harsher than that of Earth. The year of Mars (687 Earth or 668 Martian days) is almost twice as long as the Earth’s, which means the seasons last longer. Due to the large eccentricity of the orbit (0.09), the duration and nature of the seasons of Mars are different in the northern and southern hemispheres of the planet.

Thus, in the northern hemisphere of Mars, summers are long but cool, and winters are short and mild (Mars is close to perihelion at this time), while in the southern hemisphere, summers are short but warm, and winters are long and harsh. On the disk of Mars back in the middle of the 17th century. dark and light areas were observed. In 1784

V. Herschel drew attention to seasonal changes in the size of the white spots at the poles (polar caps). In 1882, the Italian astronomer G. Schiaparelli compiled a detailed map of Mars and gave a system of names for the details of its surface; highlighting among the dark spots “sea” (in Latin mare), “lakes” (lacus), “bays” (sinus), “swamps” (palus), “straits” (freturn), “springs” (fens), “ capes" (promontorium) and "regions" (regio). All these terms were, of course, purely conditional.

The temperature regime on Mars looks like this. During the daytime near the equator, if Mars is near perihelion, the temperature can rise to +25°C (about 300°K). But by evening it drops to zero and below, and during the night the planet cools even more, since the thin, dry atmosphere of the planet cannot retain the heat received from the Sun during the day.

The average temperature on Mars is significantly lower than on Earth - about -40° C. Under the most favorable conditions in summer, on the daytime half of the planet the air warms up to 20° C - a completely acceptable temperature for the inhabitants of the Earth. But on a winter night, frost can reach up to -125° C. At winter temperatures, even carbon dioxide freezes, turning into dry ice. Such sudden temperature changes are caused by the fact that the thin atmosphere of Mars is not able to retain heat for a long time. The first measurements of the temperature of Mars using a thermometer placed at the focus of a reflecting telescope were carried out back in the early 20s. Measurements by W. Lampland in 1922 gave an average surface temperature of Mars of -28°C; E. Pettit and S. Nicholson obtained -13°C in 1924. A lower value was obtained in 1960. W. Sinton and J. Strong: -43°C. Later, in the 50s and 60s. Numerous temperature measurements were accumulated and generalized at various points on the surface of Mars, in different seasons and times of day. From these measurements it followed that during the day at the equator the temperature could reach +27°C, but by the morning it could reach -50°C.

The Viking spacecraft measured the temperature near the surface after landing on Mars. Despite the fact that at that time it was summer in the southern hemisphere, the temperature of the atmosphere near the surface in the morning was -160°C, but by the middle of the day it had risen to -30°C. The atmospheric pressure at the surface of the planet is 6 millibars (i.e. 0.006 atmospheres). Clouds of fine dust constantly float over the continents (deserts) of Mars, which is always lighter than the rocks from which it is formed. Dust also increases the brightness of continents in red rays.

Under the influence of winds and tornadoes, dust on Mars can rise into the atmosphere and remain in it for quite a long time. Severe dust storms were observed in the southern hemisphere of Mars in 1956, 1971 and 1973. As shown by spectral observations in infrared rays, the main component in the atmosphere of Mars (as in the atmosphere of Venus) is carbon dioxide (CO3). Long-term searches for oxygen and water vapor at first did not give any reliable results, and then it was found that there is no more than 0.3% oxygen in the atmosphere of Mars.

The planet Mars has an equatorial diameter of 6787 km, i.e. 0.53 of Earth's. The polar diameter is slightly smaller than the equatorial diameter (6753 km) due to polar compression equal to 1/191 (versus 1/298 for the Earth). Mars rotates around its axis in almost the same way as the Earth: its rotation period is 24 hours. 37 min. 23 seconds, which is only 41 minutes. 19 sec. longer than the Earth's rotation period. The rotation axis is inclined to the orbital plane at an angle of 65°, almost equal to the angle of inclination of the earth's axis (66°.5). This means that the change of day and night, as well as the change of seasons on Mars proceed almost the same as on Earth. There are also climatic zones similar to those on Earth: tropical (tropical latitude ±25°), two temperate and two polar (polar latitude ±65°).

However, due to the distance of Mars from the Sun and the rarefied atmosphere of the planet, the climate of the planet is much harsher than that of Earth. The year of Mars (687 Earth or 668 Martian days) is almost twice as long as the Earth’s, which means the seasons last longer. Due to the large eccentricity of the orbit (0.09), the duration and nature of the seasons of Mars are different in the northern and southern hemispheres of the planet.

Thus, in the northern hemisphere of Mars, summers are long but cool, and winters are short and mild (Mars is close to perihelion at this time), while in the southern hemisphere, summers are short but warm, and winters are long and harsh. On the disk of Mars back in the middle of the 17th century. dark and light areas were observed. In 1784

V. Herschel drew attention to seasonal changes in the size of the white spots at the poles (polar caps). In 1882, the Italian astronomer G. Schiaparelli compiled a detailed map of Mars and gave a system of names for the details of its surface; highlighting among the dark spots “sea” (in Latin mare), “lakes” (lacus), “bays” (sinus), “swamps” (palus), “straits” (freturn), “springs” (fens), “ capes" (promontorium) and "regions" (regio). All these terms were, of course, purely conditional.

The temperature regime on Mars looks like this. During the daytime near the equator, if Mars is near perihelion, the temperature can rise to +25°C (about 300°K). But by evening it drops to zero and below, and during the night the planet cools even more, since the thin, dry atmosphere of the planet cannot retain the heat received from the Sun during the day.

The average temperature on Mars is significantly lower than on Earth - about -40° C. Under the most favorable conditions in summer, on the daytime half of the planet the air warms up to 20° C - a completely acceptable temperature for the inhabitants of the Earth. But on a winter night, frost can reach up to -125° C. At winter temperatures, even carbon dioxide freezes, turning into dry ice. Such sudden temperature changes are caused by the fact that the thin atmosphere of Mars is not able to retain heat for a long time. The first measurements of the temperature of Mars using a thermometer placed at the focus of a reflecting telescope were carried out back in the early 20s. Measurements by W. Lampland in 1922 gave an average surface temperature of Mars of -28°C; E. Pettit and S. Nicholson obtained -13°C in 1924. A lower value was obtained in 1960. W. Sinton and J. Strong: -43°C. Later, in the 50s and 60s. Numerous temperature measurements were accumulated and generalized at various points on the surface of Mars, in different seasons and times of day. From these measurements it followed that during the day at the equator the temperature could reach +27°C, but by the morning it could reach -50°C.

The Viking spacecraft measured the temperature near the surface after landing on Mars. Despite the fact that at that time it was summer in the southern hemisphere, the temperature of the atmosphere near the surface in the morning was -160°C, but by the middle of the day it had risen to -30°C. The atmospheric pressure at the surface of the planet is 6 millibars (i.e. 0.006 atmospheres). Clouds of fine dust constantly float over the continents (deserts) of Mars, which is always lighter than the rocks from which it is formed. Dust also increases the brightness of continents in red rays.

Under the influence of winds and tornadoes, dust on Mars can rise into the atmosphere and remain in it for quite a long time. Severe dust storms were observed in the southern hemisphere of Mars in 1956, 1971 and 1973. As shown by spectral observations in infrared rays, the main component in the atmosphere of Mars (as in the atmosphere of Venus) is carbon dioxide (CO3). Long-term searches for oxygen and water vapor at first did not give any reliable results, and then it was found that there is no more than 0.3% oxygen in the atmosphere of Mars.