Write a short essay on Mars. (4 pages, double spaced, 12-point, plus images and references).
Include the following:
• an image of the constellation with location of your object indicated
• a description/definition of the object class (e.g. planet, spiral galaxy, planetary nebula, etc.)
• when was your object discovered? (e.g Messier, Herschel, was it a ‘naked eye’ object known to ancients?)
• a detailed description about your object in particular
o physical properties: size, age, distance, etc. (give references for all data)
o whether your object is typical of its class, or has unusual characteristics
o how multi wavelength investigations have revealed information about your object
o how spectra have revealed information about your object
• references in APA or MLA format
• make sure you do in-text citations for any facts presented, and give references for any images/figures used
Use the Library Resources/Subject guides (NATS, Astronomy) to help with your research.
16 Jan 2019 03:04
Write a short essay on ‘your’ object. (3-4 pages, double spaced, 12-point, plus images and references).
Include the following:
• an image of the constellation with location of your object indicated
• a description/definition of the object class (e.g. planet, spiral galaxy, planetary nebula, etc.)
• when was your object discovered? (e.g Messier, Herschel, was it a ‘naked eye’ object known to ancients?)
• a detailed description about your object in particular
o physical properties: size, age, distance, etc. (give references for all data)
o whether your object is typical of its class, or has unusual characteristics
o how multiwavelength investigations have revealed information about your object
o how spectra have revealed information about your object
• references in APA or MLA format
• make sure you do in-text citations for any facts presented, and give references for any images/figures used
Use the Library Resources/Subject guides (NATS, Astronomy) to help with your research.
Please display images and references!!
This would be the website used for the library resources and what not
https://www.library.yorku.ca/find/
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Essay about Mars
Introduction
Mars is one of the nine planets which is located fourth from the sun. It has various characteristics which distinguish it from other planets. The characteristics include a thin atmosphere; it is dusty among other characteristics. Mars is regarded as a dynamic planet with a number of seasons. In addition, Mars contains extinct volcanoes, polar ice caps, and other weather characteristics. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Mars is located close to 142 million miles far from the sun. It is smaller as compared to the Earth. Mars is also called a red planet which originates from its soil which contains different irons. It contains two different moons which are Phobos and Deimos (Forget et al, 9). On the other hand, Mars is a very cold planet with some elements of clouds and wind. Mars contains a low amount of gravity with is approximately one-third the gravity of the earth (NASA, 2).
However, regarding the constellation of Mars, it spins on its axis just like any other planet and has a number of stars. The special type of the star is the North Star which is located close to half degrees from its terrestrial pole and it is within the limit of visibility.
Source: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
The north pole of the Mars is located midway between Deneb and Alderamin. Deneb is regarded as the brightest star of the constellation which has Cygnus and Swan. The position of Mars varies in different dates. During the positional change, it reaches the longest position from the earth also called the apogee in August.
The history of the discovery of mass is traced back during the days of the Egyptian Astronomers. Different observations and positional location of Mars were made by the Astronomers from Babylon. During the process, different models were developed to provide an explanation of the motion of the planet. Some of the models include the heliocentric model which was developed by Nicolaus Copernicus. Eventually, after the early observations were carried out in totality, it then followed the telescopic observation which was done by Galileo Galilei close to 1610 (May, 4). On the other hand, the process of discovery was enhanced by the development of instruments such as the photometer which was used in measuring the reflective nature of various objects.
Consequently, the discovery of Mars was enhanced because of its visibility; it could be seen easily from the earth. Due to its properties of the red colour, it was later named after the Roman god of war. Following efforts made by various groups in the exploration, Christian Huygens enhanced the process following the discovery of a feature on the red planet. Later, life on Mars was discovered in 1802 by a number of scientists who explored the region. The process of discovery continued with different astronomers developing more ideas on observing various features such as lines among others (Forget et al, 9). This was done in 1877 by Giovanni Schiaparelli. A number of explorations were made in mars and by 1971 there was a visit by Mariner 9 who went and came back with images that contain huge volcanoes and canyons. Consequently, following the discovery of volcanoes, a number of exploration were made in 1975 using an aircraft by Viking I and II who came with more information on various properties such as the atmosphere, weather, soil, rocks among other properties. On the other hand, the moons in the planet were discovered in 1877 by Asaph Hall who was an astronomer (Forget et al, 9). The moons were later named the Phobos and Deimos. Generally, Mars was discovered through observations by various astronomers and scientists.
Mars is one of the planets that have a number of physical properties. The diameter Mars is approximately half of the diameter of the earth and its size is close to one third the size of the earth. It is one of the planets that is less dense as compared to the Earth. Approximately the volume of Mars is approximately 15% the volume the earth and approximately 11% the mass of the earth (Forget et al, 9). Other physical properties include the total surface area which is less as compared to the dry land on the Earth (Byrd, 3). The difference is not too much. On the other hand, Mars is larger as compared to mercury though Mercury contains high density. In comparing Mars and Mercury, the two planets are having an almost similar gravitational pull towards the centre of their surfaces. The physical appearance of Mars is the red-orange in colour which is dominantly caused by the presence of iron (II) oxide which appears red. Mar has a cold, thin atmosphere which proves that the liquid water cannot exist on the surface for a longer period of time. The planet is regarded to be the source of high mountains and deep and long valleys in the solar system. For instance, the Olympus Mons is one of the tallest mountains in Mars which is approximately 17 miles which is equivalent to 27 Kilometres high and almost three times the size of Mount Everest. The other valley in include the Valles Marineris which was discovered by Mariner 9 is approximately 6 miles tall which is equivalent to 10 Kilometres. On the other hand, Mars has some of the largest volcanoes which include Olympus Mons that extends to close to 370 miles which is equivalent to 600 km. The terrain in Mars is fairly flat and plains which are low lying (Byrd, 3).
The climatic condition of Mars is different as compared to that of the Earth. Mars is much colder as compared to Earth because is located at a far distance from the sun as compared to the earth. The temperature of Mars is close to 80 degrees Fahrenheit which is equivalent to 60 degrees Celsius. The temperature varies from poles and the equator. The orbit of Mars is tilted in relation to the orbit of the sun. The average distance of Mars from the sun is close to 141633260 which is equivalent to 227936640 KM. In comparing with the earth it is approximately 1.524 times larger than the Earth (May, 4).
Mars has unusual characteristics because it is a red planet which distinguishes it from other planets and it contains enormous mountains and valleys than all other planets. The multi wavelength was used for astronomical observations of the properties of the planet; the most important wavelength was the use of infrared which could reveal about the colour and other properties. Spectroscopy played a big role in Mars which includes the investigation and confirmation of the presence of water on the planet (Forget et al, 9).
Conclusion
Mars is one of the nine planets that have unique characteristics. A number of researches and explorations have been carried out in Mars to reveal the characteristics and other physical properties of the planet. The planet is distinguished from other planets due to high mountains and valleys. More researches are carried out by astronomers to investigate if the planet supports life.
Works Cited
Byrd D, Earth Sky. Mars oppositions 2010-2022,2016, https://earthsky.org/todays-image/mars-oppositions-2010-2022. Accessed 17 January 2019
May Sandra, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2015, https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-is-mars-k4.html. Accessed 17 January 2019
NASA Science. Solar System Exploration, 2018. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/mars/overview/. Accessed 17 January 2019
Forget, François, Philippe Lognonné, and François Costard. Planet Mars: Story of another world. Springer, 2008.
