With a day just 37 minutes longer than Earth's and a surface gravity only a third as strong, the dry, red world of Mars is a surprisingly familiar, yet profoundly alien, neighbor sculpted by numbers that tell a story of cold deserts, thin air, and ancient mysteries.
Key Takeaways
- Mars has an equatorial radius of 3,396.2 km and a polar radius of 3,376.2 km, giving it an oblateness of 0.0059
- The mean density of Mars is 3.9335 ± 0.004 g/cm³, which is about 71% that of Earth
- Mars has a surface gravity of 3.72076 m/s², approximately 38% of Earth's gravity
- Mars has a semi-major axis of 1.52366231 AU (227,939,100 km) in its orbit around the Sun
- The orbital eccentricity of Mars is 0.0934, causing significant variation in distance from Sun
- Mars' orbital period (sidereal) is 686.971 days (1.88085 Earth years)
- Mars' atmosphere is 95.32% carbon dioxide by volume
- Atmospheric pressure at Mars' surface averages 6.36 mb (0.63% of Earth's)
- Nitrogen makes up 2.59% of Mars' atmosphere
- Tharsis Montes volcanic region hosts Olympus Mons at 22.5 km height
- Valles Marineris canyon system stretches 4,000 km long, up to 7 km deep
- Hellas Planitia impact basin is 2,300 km wide, 7.1 km deep
- Mariner 4 flyby in 1965 returned 21 images covering 1% of surface
- Viking 1 lander operated 2,245 sols, analyzed 15 soil samples
- Pathfinder Sojourner rover traveled 100 m, lasted 83 sols
Mars is smaller, colder, and less dense than Earth with a thin atmosphere.
Atmosphere and Climate
1Mars' atmosphere is 95.32% carbon dioxide by volume
Verified
2Atmospheric pressure at Mars' surface averages 6.36 mb (0.63% of Earth's)
Verified
3Nitrogen makes up 2.59% of Mars' atmosphere
Directional
4Argon constitutes 1.93% of the atmosphere
Single source
5Oxygen is 0.174% by volume in Mars' atmosphere
Verified
6Water vapor ranges from 0.03% to 0.03% (variable)
Verified
7Carbon monoxide is 0.0747%
Verified
8Scale height of Mars' atmosphere is 11.1 km
Verified
9Atmospheric temperature at 0 km altitude averages 210 K (-63°C)
Verified
10At 100 km, temperature is 148 K
Verified
11Blackbody temperature is 209.8 K
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12Bond albedo is 0.25
Verified
13Atmospheric thermal escape is significant, with Jeans parameter λ = 28 at exobase
Verified
14Dust opacity during storms reaches tau=5.0
Verified
15Polar CO2 ice cap volume in summer is 1.2 × 10^6 km³
Directional
16Residual north polar cap thickness is 1,000 km diameter, 300 m thick
Directional
17South polar cap can grow to 3,200 km diameter in winter
Verified
18Atmospheric circulation has three cells due to Coriolis effect
Single source
19Global dust storms recur every 1.5 to 3 Mars years (2.1-4.2 Earth years)
Single source
20Wind speeds on Mars can reach 30 m/s (110 km/h) in dust devils
Verified
21Helium abundance is 1.2 ppm
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22Krypton is 30 ppb, xenon 4 ppb
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23Methane plumes detected up to 0.7% of atmosphere locally
Directional
24Ozone column density peaks at 3.8 nm-equivalent
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25Water ice clouds form at 40-50 km altitude
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Atmosphere and Climate Interpretation
Mars has essentially built itself a thin, carbon-dioxide-filled terrarium so leaky and desolate that your average breath would be an act of industrial production, your skin would boil without a pressure suit, and a stiff breeze could summon a planet-wide dust storm that lasts for months.
Geology and Surface Features
1Tharsis Montes volcanic region hosts Olympus Mons at 22.5 km height
Verified
2Valles Marineris canyon system stretches 4,000 km long, up to 7 km deep
Directional
3Hellas Planitia impact basin is 2,300 km wide, 7.1 km deep
Single source
4Northern lowlands cover 40% of surface, average depth 5.5 km below datum
Verified
5Southern highlands have crater density >200 craters >16 km diameter per 10^6 km²
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6Tharsis bulge spans 5,000 km, elevation up to 10 km
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7Over 635,000 impact craters identified >1 km diameter
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8Lava flows on Elysium Planitia cover 200,000 km²
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9Gale Crater rim height is 4-5 km above floor
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10Jezero Crater delta spans 20 km wide
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11Recurring slope lineae (RSL) observed on 100+ sites, up to 500 m long
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12Hematite spherules ("blueberries") 0.2-0.8 mm diameter in Meridiani Planum
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13Clay minerals cover 4.6% of surface, concentrated in Noachian crust
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14Phobos Deimos craters: Stickney on Phobos is 9.5 km diameter
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15Polar layered deposits thickness up to 3 km in south pole
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16Mangala Valles outflow channel 800 km long
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17Syrtis Major Planum dark albedo region 1,500 km across
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18Arabia Terra plateau has 5 km relief
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19Acidalia Planitia smooth plains unit covers 5 million km²
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20InSight detected 174 marsquakes, largest magnitude 4.7
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21Cerberus Fossae fractures total 1,300 km length
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Geology and Surface Features Interpretation
Mars is a planet of record-breaking extremes, from the solar system's tallest volcano and grandest canyon to ancient, battered highlands and vast, smooth plains, all whispering a complex geologic history of fire, ice, and relentless cosmic bombardment.
Human Exploration and Missions
1Mariner 4 flyby in 1965 returned 21 images covering 1% of surface
Directional
2Viking 1 lander operated 2,245 sols, analyzed 15 soil samples
Directional
3Pathfinder Sojourner rover traveled 100 m, lasted 83 sols
Verified
4Spirit rover drove 7.73 km over 2,208 sols before 2010 entrapment
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5Opportunity rover odometry 45.16 km in 5,352 sols until 2018 dust storm
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6Curiosity rover has driven 29 km as of 2023, drilled 39 rock samples
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7Perseverance rover collected 24 rock samples by 2023, flew Ingenuity 72 times
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8InSight lander measured 1,332 marsquakes over 1,000+ sols until 2022
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9Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter imaged 99.9% of surface at 6 m/pixel CTX resolution
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10Odyssey orbiter mapped global radiation levels, detected 640,000 craters >1 km
Single source
11Mars Express detected subsurface ice radar, mapped aurora
Verified
12MAVEN measured atmospheric loss rate of 100 g/s
Directional
13Tianwen-1 orbited, landed Zhurong rover 90 m drive in 2021
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14Hope orbiter measured 2,500+ clouds in first year
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15Mariner 9 mapped 85% of surface at 1 km resolution
Single source
16Phoenix lander confirmed water ice at 70 cm depth, operated 147 sols
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17MOM (Mangalyaan) orbited 7.5 years, self-located relay failure in 2022
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18Insight mole penetrated 2-3 cm into soil after 500+ cycles
Directional
19Ingenuity helicopter flew 72 times, total 128 min flight time by 2024
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20Global Surveyor altimetry measured 1 m height accuracy over 40 million km²
Verified
21MRO HiRISE imaged 45,000+ targets at 25 cm/pixel
Directional
Human Exploration and Missions Interpretation
From humble flyby snapshots to sophisticated geological field trips and sky-scraping helicopters, our relentless campaign of robotic emissaries has collectively transformed Mars from a distant, blurry myth into a meticulously measured world of quakes, craters, ice, and ancient secrets waiting in a tube.
Orbital and Rotational Properties
1Mars has a semi-major axis of 1.52366231 AU (227,939,100 km) in its orbit around the Sun
Verified
2The orbital eccentricity of Mars is 0.0934, causing significant variation in distance from Sun
Verified
3Mars' orbital period (sidereal) is 686.971 days (1.88085 Earth years)
Single source
4Perihelion distance for Mars is 206,620,000 km (1.381 AU)
Single source
5Aphelion distance is 249,200,000 km (1.666 AU)
Verified
6Mars' orbital inclination to the ecliptic is 1.85061 degrees
Directional
7The longitude of ascending node for Mars is 49.558 degrees
Verified
8Argument of perihelion is 286.502 degrees
Verified
9Mean tropical year for Mars is 668.59 sols (686.98 Earth days)
Directional
10Mars' rotational velocity at equator is 240.6 m/s
Directional
11The solar day (sol) on Mars lasts 24.6597 hours
Verified
12Mars' synodic period with Earth is 779.94 Earth days
Single source
13Maximum angular size of Mars from Earth is 25.1 arcseconds
Single source
14Minimum angular size is 3.5 arcseconds
Verified
15Mars' opposition magnitude is -2.91
Directional
16Angular velocity in orbit is 0.524 degrees/day
Verified
17Mars' Hill sphere radius is 1,077,000 km
Directional
18The planet's orbital velocity at mean distance is 24.13 km/s
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19Maximum orbital velocity is 26.50 km/s at perihelion
Verified
20Minimum orbital velocity is 21.97 km/s at aphelion
Directional
21Mars' precession rate of perihelion is 0.558° per Martian century
Directional
22The axial precession period for Mars is about 170,000 years
Verified
23Mars' mean motion is 0.191 Earth days per degree
Single source
24The planet experiences dust storms that can cover the globe every 3 Martian years on average
Single source
Orbital and Rotational Properties Interpretation
Mars, for all its fiery reputation, is a shockingly indecisive neighbor, taking nearly two of our years to complete its wildly eccentric, lopsided loop around the Sun, which makes its climate just barely hellish one season and then plunge it into a deep freeze the next, all while spinning at a near-identical pace to Earth and occasionally burying itself alive in global dust storms just to keep things interesting.
Physical Characteristics
1Mars has an equatorial radius of 3,396.2 km and a polar radius of 3,376.2 km, giving it an oblateness of 0.0059
Single source
2The mean density of Mars is 3.9335 ± 0.004 g/cm³, which is about 71% that of Earth
Verified
3Mars has a surface gravity of 3.72076 m/s², approximately 38% of Earth's gravity
Single source
4The escape velocity from Mars' surface is 5.03 km/s
Directional
5Mars' sidereal rotation period is 24.6229 hours (1.025957 sol)
Directional
6Mars completes one rotation on its axis every 24 hours, 37 minutes, and 22 seconds
Verified
7The axial tilt of Mars is 25.19 degrees, similar to Earth's 23.44 degrees
Directional
8Mars' mass is 6.4171 × 10^23 kg, which is 0.107 Earth masses
Verified
9The moment of inertia factor for Mars is 0.366, indicating a less centralized mass distribution than Earth
Single source
10Mars' surface area is 144,798,500 km², about 28% of Earth's
Verified
11Mars' equatorial surface gravity is 3.71 m/s²
Directional
12The planet's oblateness is calculated as (equatorial radius - polar radius)/equatorial radius = 0.0059
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13Mars' volume is 1.6318 × 10^11 km³
Directional
14The core radius of Mars is estimated at 1,700–1,850 km based on InSight seismic data
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15Mars' mantle thickness is approximately 1,500–1,800 km
Single source
16The crust thickness on Mars varies from 30–50 km in the southern highlands to about 10 km in the northern lowlands
Verified
17Mars' mean surface temperature is -60°C (-80°F)
Single source
18Diurnal temperature variation on Mars can reach 100°C due to thin atmosphere
Directional
19Mars' albedo is 0.25, reflecting 25% of incoming sunlight
Verified
20The planet's bulk density suggests a core composition of iron and sulfur at about 15-20% of total mass
Verified
21Mars' polar moment of inertia is 0.364
Directional
22The equatorial bulge of Mars is minimal at 20 km
Directional
23Mars' GM (standard gravitational parameter) is 4.282837 × 10^13 m³ s⁻²
Verified
24The planet's surface regolith density is about 1.5-2.0 g/cm³
Directional
25Mars' crustal density averages 2.9 g/cm³
Verified
26The internal heat flow on Mars is estimated at 20-22 mW/m²
Directional
27Mars' magnetic moment is less than 1.5 × 10^13 A m² today, remnant from ancient dynamo
Verified
28The planet's J2 gravitational harmonic is 1965.62 × 10^-6
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29Mars C20 is -8.65 × 10^-6, indicating slight pear shape
Verified
Physical Characteristics Interpretation
Mars is so modestly squashed, so gently dense, and spins with such polite lethargy that it seems less a failed Earth and more a planet practicing mindful minimalism.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Aisha Okonkwo. (2026, February 13). Mars Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mars-statistics
MLA
Aisha Okonkwo. "Mars Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/mars-statistics.
Chicago
Aisha Okonkwo. 2026. "Mars Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mars-statistics.
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- Reference 16MGS-MAGERmgs-mager.gsfc.nasa.govVisit source
- Reference 17HIRISEhirise.lpl.arizona.eduVisit source