Mars and Earth: A Look Into the Neighbor’s Backyard

Humanity’s fascination with Mars has advanced into concrete science and ambitious mission planning. With NASA’s rovers traversing its dusty terrain and private companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX preparing for potential colonization, the Red Planet is now under intense scrutiny. Mars has shifted from a distant enigma to mankinds’s most feasible next planetary abode.

Scientists and engineers face hurdles – they decipher its mysteries and evaluate its capability to one day support human life. As these plans advance, comparisons with Earth become inavoidable. How similar are our planetary “homes,” and what differences will future Martians need to overcome?

The Basics

Earth and Mars are both rocky planets orbiting the Sun, yet there are significant size distinctions. Mars is a lightweight contender, with its diameter at 6,779 km – just over half of Earth’s 12,742 km. But the expanse area of Mars, free of oceans, is comparable to Earth’s landmass.

Earth enjoys its place as the third planet, situated comfortably in the temperate Goldilocks zone. Mars, on the other hand, is further out, occupying the fourth position roughly 1.5 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun.

For companionship, Earth has its loyal Moon, with a width of 3,474 km, always shining bright. Mars, however, possesses two irregularly shaped satellites, Phobos and Deimos, primarily glorified asteroids. Moreover, Phobos’s odd orbit is destined to eventually tear it apart, a celestial drama Mars never requested.

Geography and Relief

Earth displays a balanced mix of oceans, mountains, plains, and valleys, crafting a surface both dramatic and hospitable. Mars prefers extremes.

The planet’s northern hemisphere highlights smooth, low-lying plains from ancient lava flows, starkly contrasting with its crater-dense southern highlands. This pronounced divide, termed the Martian dichotomy, resembles splitting Earth’s features into two distinct moods.

Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth, is 8.8 km tall. Meanwhile, Mars flaunts Olympus Mons, the Solar System’s tallest volcano at 21.9 km, akin to a planetary mic drop. Additionally, Valles Marineris canyon on Mars stretches 4,000 km, tenfold longer than the Grand Canyon. Mars, stop showing off!

Climate: Weather or Not

Earth and Mars might share seasons due to their similar axial tilts – Earth at 23.5° and Mars at 25.19° – yet their climates are remarkably different. Earth’s dense atmosphere acts as a temperature buffer. It tempers temperatures and maintains consistent weather cycles, making conditions hospitable

Mars, however, has a thin atmosphere which causes temperatures to swing drastically from -78.5°C to 5.7°C, even during its warmer seasons.

Earth experiences storms, but Mars deals with massive global dust storms that can endure for months and reach speeds exceeding 160 km/h. These storms obscure Mars’ exterior and temporarily elevate temperatures.

Mars’s weather is not just unpredictable; it is extraordinarily turbulent.

Time: Days and Years

Both Mars and Earth rotate on their axes, yet their days do not align. Mars completes its solar day (a “sol”) in 24 hours, 39 minutes, and 35 seconds, which makes Earth seem a bit hurried. This difference isn’t significant but can disrupt any Earth-oriented timekeeping devices.

However, the striking disparity appears in their years. Earth swiftly completes its journey around the Sun in 365 days, while Mars takes a leisurely 687 days—nearly two Earth years—to finish its orbit. Mars’ elongated path is more eccentric. It alters its distance from the Sun and causes its seasons to vary more.

In Earth’s view, Mars might seem like a procrastinator due to this extended timeline.

Atmosphere

Earth’s atmosphere, which consists mainly of nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%), supports life by maintaining comfortable temperatures and deflecting harmful solar radiation away.

Mars presents a thin atmosphere composed mostly of carbon dioxide (96%), with surface pressure that is merely 0.6% of Earth’s.

Breathing here would match the challenge of inhaling at the summit of Mount Everest – but far more extreme.

This thin atmospheric layer loses heat rapidly, much like enduring a tax audit, and exacerbates Mars’ drastic temperature fluctuations. Radiation poses a serious threat too.

Lacking a magnetosphere, Mars absorbs solar wind, subjecting its ground to cosmic and UV radiation levels fatal to Earth-based life.

On Mars, you’d require a lead suit – or better yet, a sheltered dwelling.

Water

Water is fundamental for life—at least that’s what Earth claims. Our planet contains 1.4 billion cubic kilometers of liquid water in its oceans. The Red Planet, acting like a stingy relative, hides its H2O in icy and mineral-rich vaults.

Its polar ice caps, especially the southern one, store CO2 and water ice that could potentially blanket the planet with an 11-meter layer if melted. Furthermore, Mars displays ancient river formations like Ma’adim Vallis, nodding to its wetter past.

Yet, lasting liquidity is elusive due to inadequate atmospheric pressure. On Mars, the concept of “drinkable” water refers to historic traces entombed beneath rusty dust.

Life on Mars?

The question of whether life has ever existed on Mars—or could in the future—keeps both scientists and dreamers awake at night.

Evidence of river valleys and deltas indicates a possibly wetter and warmer past, teasing imagination.

However, hostile conditions such as intense radiation and temperatures resembling cryogenic nightmares make survival for Earth-based life forms unlikely.

As researchers analyze soil data from missions like Curiosity and Perseverance, the answer remains tantalizingly out of reach. Until proven otherwise, “Martians” remain a concept of science fiction—but one that could someday transform into extraordinary reality.