Mars and the Earth Essay -- Astronomy Space Essays

Mars and the Earth Geologists study the surface of both Mars and Earth by using interplanetary comparative analysis to further their understanding of the two planets. In some ways, Mars resembles Earth. Features on Mars such as an atmosphere, a wind-modified surface, near-surface water, volcanism, seasons, ice caps, dust storms, and channels can be found on Earth as well, albeit slightly different in origination or intensity. Despite their similarities, their differences are profound. Their acute differences in their tectonic framework and their quantities of liquid water affect the geological theories behind the formation of the surface of Earth and Mars. By investigating these similarities and differences, geologists can grasp and acquire a better understanding of the evolution of these two planets. Mars, named after the Roman war god, is known as the Red Planet due to its’ red or pink appearance as it glows in the night sky. Galileo first saw Mars around the year 1610, since then numerous others have viewed the mysterious planet. Just to name a few, Michael Carr in The Surface of Mars (1) describes the trail of Mars’ historical observations; starting with Huyghens in 1659 who verified that Mars, like Earth, had a north-south rotation in a 24-hour period, Cassini who observed polar caps on Mars in 1666, and Herschel who, in the late 1700’s, determined that Mars had seasons much like Earth. According to Cross and Moore, Mars is much smaller and less massive than Earth (8). They also argue that Mars and the Earth move around the Sun in different periods, making observation of geological features extremely difficult since sightings are limited to a few months every other year (12). As difficult as Mars is to obse... ... Editors of Life. The Earth. New York, NY: Time Inc. Book Division, 1962. Carr. Michael H. Images of Mars. Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1980. Carr, Michael H. The Surface of Mars. Westford, Mass: The Murray Printing Co., 1981. Gornitz, Vivien. Geology of the Planet Mars. Stroudsburg, PA: Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross, Inc., 1979. Guest, John. The Earth and Its Satellite. New York, NY: David McKay Company, Inc., 1971. Michaux, C. M. Handbook of the Physical Properties of the Planet Mars. Washington, D. C.: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1967. Mutch, Thomas A. The Geology of Mars. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1976. Moore, Patrick, & Charles A. Cross. Mars. New York, NY: Crown Publishers Inc., 1973. â€Å"Poles Apart: North and South on Mars.† Valley News [Hanover] 6 May 2002, first ed: