Exploratour - The Surface of Mars


Introduction

This page is the start of the tour which explores the surface of Mars. In this tour, we will describe different features found on the surface and the geography of the planet. Use the navigation button at the top of the page to move through the tour. To go to the next page, just press the forward link on the navigation button.

To the left is a movie of a rotating Mars. The surface revealed in this animation is one which may seem barren since it is devoid of life or water. We will show in this tour, however, that the surface of Mars has many of the same features found on the surface of the Earth; volcanoes, canyons, continental features, and polar caps.


You might also be interested in:

Cool It! Game

Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more

The Largest Valley System in the Solar System

Scientists studying the features of Mars have discovered the largest known valleys in the solar system. These valleys and gorges lie beneath the surface of the planet, under ash, lava, and dust, and were...more

Newly Discovered Martian Lakes and Canyon!

Scientists have found lakes and a river in the highlands of Mars. They don't contain any water, but they may show that the cold, dry planet once had a very different environment where liquid water flowed...more

ExploraTour - Looking at the World in a Different Light

Even though the sleeping man is no longer on the bed, you can still see where he was lying down. The heat from his body warmed up the bed sheets which are now radiating infrared light toward your eyes....more

ExploraTour - Looking at the World in a Different Light

All warm objects (not just people) radiate in the infrared. Warmer objects give off more infrared radiation. Very hot objects radiate other types of light in addition to infrared. Click on the picture...more

ExploraTour - Looking at the World in a Different Light

Your eye is a wonderful detector of visible light. Different frequencies of light produce different sensations in the eye which we interpret as colors. Our eyes detect light by using light sensitive components...more

ExploraTour - Looking at the World in a Different Light

Imagine you found a pair of special glasses that not only gave you telescopic vision but gave you the ability to see all forms of radiant energy. The universe in visible light contains all the familiar...more

ExploraTour - Looking at the World in a Different Light

This is a volcano on the island of Miyake in Japan. It has erupted, sending hot lava and ash into the air, a total of ten times. The time after one eruption until the next occurred was about twenty years...more

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA