MARS

Overview

Mars is the fourth rocky planet from the Sun, orbiting just outside Earth. Its surface is covered with sand and rock rich in iron oxide — in other words, rust — which gives the whole world a reddish-brown hue and has earned it the long-standing nickname "the Red Planet."

Its atmosphere is very thin compared with Earth's and is mostly carbon dioxide. With only a few hundredths of Earth's surface pressure, liquid water cannot remain on the surface for long. Even so, the air is active enough for dust storms to engulf the entire planet, and Mars changes its appearance with the seasons.

Features

Mars is home to Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system. It rises about 22 km high — more than twice the height of Mount Everest on Earth. The planet also features Valles Marineris, an enormous canyon system roughly 4,000 km long that stretches across the equatorial region and stands out among its landforms.

At both poles sit white "polar caps" made of water and carbon dioxide ice, which grow and shrink with the seasons.

A day on Mars (its rotation period) is about 24.6 hours — almost the same as Earth's. Because its axis is also tilted relative to its orbital plane, Mars experiences four seasons just as Earth does. These shared traits may be part of why Mars feels so familiar to us.

Trivia

Two small moons — Mars is accompanied by two tiny moons, Phobos and Deimos. Both are irregularly shaped lumps of rock, and they may be captured asteroids.

Traces of past water — The Martian surface bears many signs of rivers and lakes where liquid water once flowed. Because the presence of water is tied to the possibility of life, Mars is considered a leading candidate in the search for life.

Many rovers — For these reasons, Mars has received more probes and rovers than almost any other planet. It is also the most realistic candidate as a destination for future crewed exploration.

In Gravity Weaver

Mars is the fourth stage of the solar system run (4th of 9). Guide the Solar Shard with your gravity fields and bring it to Mars to clear the stage.

From this stage onward, nebulae make their debut. Passing through a nebula slows the Solar Shard down, which makes shaping its trajectory far more interesting. Should you steer clear to keep your momentum, or pass through on purpose to bleed off speed and line up a landing? Adjust how you draw your gravity fields to fit the moment.