First of all, one Martian day is about 40 minutes longer than our day here on Earth. Although information about Mars' weather is very sparse when compared to our knowledge of Earth's atmosphere, we have discovered quite a few things so far. Temperatures at the polar regions of Mars can get down to -199°F. Craters on the planet show us that erosion once occurred on Mars, which lead us to assume that liquid water (perhaps even large bodies of water) once existed. Also, Mars' atmosphere is made of mostly carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is not circulated through Mars' atmosphere, thus keeping the gas stationary, enabling the greenhouse effect to not occur as it does here on Earth. Dust storms are common events on Mars. These dust storms are powered by sunshine and can last up to a month, as the development of them can take only a few hours.
We will finally discover more about this mysterious planet thanks to NASA's recent success, The Mars Rover. The Mars Rover, which landed on the red planet on Sunday, August 5, 2012, will spend the next two years in space, allowing us to find out more about our neighboring planet.
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WTAJ Weather Authority Intern
