Cool Places Around Mars

Mars And Its Otherworldly Wonders

Venturing to the unknown has always been an interest buried in the back of several people’s minds. Over the years, scientists and researchers have spent vast amounts of investment money studying the worlds located outside of this blue planet. Throughout this ongoing research, several people – and a dog, even – had the chance to venture to space, proving that space travel is undoubtedly within the realm of possibility.

For a long time now, people have been wondering about the potential of living on other planets besides Earth. After thoroughly researching this matter, scientists discovered several planets out there – even in other galaxies – that can inhabit life. However, before going far and beyond, there is also another Earth-like planet within this Solar System: Mars. Over the years, researchers have found that the Red Planet can satisfy the criteria of being a livable planet – early in its history, Mars was abundant with water. Hopefully, after further research, perhaps it can finally be as habitable as Earth. So, before that time finally comes, let’s talk about a few of Mars’ beautiful wonders, shall we?

Tharsis Region

Mars’ Tharsis region is an area that homes 12 of the planet’s volcanoes. In 1980, the Viking 1 spacecraft took credit for capturing a well-detailed image of the volcanic region. However, don’t let the Red Planet’s relatively flat appearance in the picture fool you. Due to the planet having a weaker gravitational pull than Earth, many of Mars’ volcanoes, over the years, have grown to even taller heights than Earth’s Mount Everest.

The North And South Poles

Just like Earth, Mars has its own pair of polar ice caps. For the most part, the North and South poles play a considerable role in controlling the Red Planet’s climate throughout the year. During the winter seasons, the planet experiences extremely low temperatures, to such a degree that the carbon dioxide around the polar ice caps condenses and solidifies into ice. However, when the summer seasons come, the iced carbon dioxides in the North Pole sublimates back into the atmosphere, leaving behind bodies of water made from the ice. On the other hand, though most of the carbon dioxide in the South Pole also returns to the atmosphere, some of them fail to do so, retaining their frozen state. These seasonal changes help produce Earth-like frost and clouds around the planet.

Valles Marineris

Way before things like electricity and technology became an integral part of people’s lives, several of the Earth’s continents were once a part of one supercontinent called Pangaea. However, as time went on, Pangaea collapsed into different islands, making the world as we know it today. And while this was happening, Mars was also going through a few changes of its own.

Besides its colossal volcanoes, Mars also has the largest canyon in the entire Solar System – it’s four times longer than the Grand Canyon. Though not much is known about how it came to be, several research studies believe that the Valles Marineris canyon was the side effect of the Tharsis region’s volcanic nature, causing cracks around the planet’s surface. In time, other natural events, like landslides, further widened the canyon, eventually turning it into the now-vast Valles Marineris.

Olympus Mons

Of course, since we’re talking about Mars, it would be a disservice to the Red Planet if we don’t talk about one of its largest volcanoes, Olympus Mons. Located in the Tharsis region, this mountain is the youngest one among its large volcanic siblings. And since its slopes are reasonably easy to climb, it’s safe to say that Olympus Mons can be quite the attraction for mountain climbers once they have the chance to set foot on the Red Planet. After all, who wouldn’t want to take the credit for being the first person to climb this mountain, right?

Going to another planet is perhaps a dream almost everyone once had during their childhood days. And with the help of modern technology and science, this dream is getting closer and closer to becoming a reality. Though it will still take some time before a moving company provides services for people transferring to Mars, it wouldn’t hurt to learn a thing or two about the planet and the many others out there. After all, there’s a whole new world out there just waiting to be discovered someday.