Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: geo driver on 20/02/2013 04:41:26

Title: What are the seasons on Mars?
Post by: geo driver on 20/02/2013 04:41:26

ok it been a wile.......... so i have been relly busy, and dont really have a lot of time to scroll through loads of books.

what is the timing of mars's seasons and how many are there

how long do they take, and what would it take to slow it down

Title: Re: mars
Post by: CliffordK on 20/02/2013 05:59:34

I would assume that the Martian year has essentially the same 4 seasons we have on Earth. 

Winter & winter solstice (sun approaching furthest deviation from equator)
Spring & Spring equinox (sun over the equator)
Summer & summer solstice (sun approaching furthest deviation from equator)
Fall & Fall equinox (sun again over the equator, following a "summer").

Keep in mind that on any planet, the Northern hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere will experience essentially the opposite seasons.

Wikipedia discusses Martian Time. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timekeeping_on_Mars)
The Martian Day is: 24 hours 37 minutes long.
The Martian Year is: 686.98 Earth solar days, or 668.6 Martian Days.

So, if your typical season is about 3 months long on Earth, it would be about 6 months long on Mars.

Title: Re: What are the seasons on Mars?
Post by: evan_au on 20/02/2013 10:49:33

Because Mars' orbit is more eccentric than Earth, the seasons are markedly different in the Northern & Southern hemispheres.
The seasons also have different durations. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomy_on_Mars#Seasons

But the main difference is that Mars is further from the Sun, and so it is overall much colder than the Earth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Mars#Temperature