Myths about Mars

Mars was the son of Jupiter and Juno, and was the Roman god of war. Mars was the lover of Venus and the father of the famous Roman heroes Romulus and Remus, who were said to have founded the city of Rome. For that reason, Mars was believed to come to the aid of Romans in times of crisis. He was widely worshiped by Roman legions. The month of March is named after him.
Ares was the Greek god of war. He was identified with the Roman god, <a href="/mythology/mars.html&edu=elem&dev=">Mars</a>. This marble sculpture, called the "Ludovisi Ares", is a Roman copy after a Greek original from ca. 320 BC.<p><small><em>Ludovisi Collection. Image courtesy of Marie-Lan Nguyen, Wikipedia Commons, public domain. </em></small></p>

Explore Myths about Mars

Roman: Mars

Ares was the Greek god of war, always acting and thinking like a warrior. Mars was identified ...Read more

Hindu: Mangala

In Hinduism, the major Indian religion, the planet Mars, called Mangala, is identified with ...Read more

Maya: Mars

Mayans were sophisticated observers of the sky. Mayans used their astronomical knowledge to ...Read more

Explore Myths about other nearby planets

Roman: Venus

Venus was the goddess of love and beauty. To the perfection of her figure and the purity of ...Read more

Aztec: Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli

Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli was an Aztec god. The planets Venus and the feathered snake, Quetzalcoatl ...Read more

Roman: Jupiter

In Roman mythology Jupiter was the king of heaven and Earth and of all the Olympian gods. He ...Read more

Roman: Ganymede

Ganymede was a son of Tros, who was the ruler of the city of Troy. One day, Jupiter saw Ganymede ...Read more

Roman: Io

Io was a beautiful priestess of the Greek goddess, Hera. Hera was the jealous wife of Zeus, ...Read more

Roman: Europa

Europa was a beautiful princess. According to Greek mythology, Europa was seduced by Zeus, ...Read more

Historical Events

Full Earth and Space Science    History Calendar (Members only)

Teacher Opportunities

Full Teacher Events Calendar (Educator Members only)

Did you know?

Did you know that there is some pretty strange stuff in space?

Did you know that, according to ancient Chinese myth, humans were generated from the fleas which lived on the body of the giant Pan-Ku?

 

Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

Do you know what this word or phrase means?

Loess
xLoess : An aeolian sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown silt and lesser and variable amounts of sand and clay that are loosely cemented by calcium carbonate. Loess is usually homogeneous, highly porous, and is traversed by vertical capillaries t

Click on the word to find out!

Research Highlights

East Africa's Lake Tanganyika is Warming More Than Ever Before

Geologists think that the waters of Lake Tanganyika, a long lake located in East Africa, has experienced a huge amount of warming in the last 100 years. Currently, the surface water of this lake is the...Read 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