Welcome to the last bit of a six-part-long series on all things space! Each month, a new article featuring a fascinating aspect of space will be uploaded. From asteroids to comets to stars – anything and everything will be included! Read carefully, for when the series comes to an end, there will be a SuperTrivia to test your knowledge on space. Happy Reading!
Mars has always been a source of great wonder, and rightfully so, as the planet is full of intrigues. Because of its characteristic red color, Mars has been given many names. For example, the Egyptians named it “Her Desher”, meaning “red one”, and the Chinese called it “Fire Star”. The reason behind this red surface of Mars is actually quite interesting. The soil on Mars is enriched with many minerals, one of them being iron, which rusts, giving the planet a reddish hue.
Did you know the largest mountain and longest valley in the solar system is located on Mars? Olympus Mons is 27 kilometers high, which is three times the size of Mount Everest. It is also amongst one of the largest volcanoes in the solar system. The Valles Marineres has a length almost equal to the width of Australia.
Since Mars is further away from the sun as compared to the Earth, Mars is also much cooler. In fact, the average temperature on Mars is minus eighty degrees Celsius. Mars is also home to the solar system’s biggest dust storms, which continue for days, and are powerful enough to destroy the NASA robots sent there for research.
So, what lesson do we learn from our information about Mars? Well, Mars is one of Allah’s biggest marvels, and continues to hold the interest of scientists even now. That is because it is so different from earth. From its core, climate, atmosphere to landscape, everything is opposite to what we find on earth. This shows how unique each of His creation is in its own way, proving Allah is capable of everything and His power of creation is unlimited. Therefore, we must follow the practice of Hazrat Ibrahim (as), and recognize signs of Allah in His creation. Only then, can we be truly successful in the Hereafter.
By: Hamna Salman