Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in our solar system. It is named after Mars, the god of war in Roman mythology (the counterpart to Ares in Greek mythology), because of its red color as viewed in the night sky. This feature also earned it the name "The Red Planet." Mars has two moons (Phobos and Deimos) which are both small and oddly-shaped, possibly being captured asteroids. The prefix areo- refers to Mars in the same way geo- refers to Earth—e.g. areology versus geology.

References

• William Sheehan, The Planet Mars: A History of Observation and Discovery, The University of Arizona Press, Tucson, 1996
• Vladimir A. Krasnopolsky, Jean-Pierre Maillard, Tobias C. Owen, Detection of methane in the Martian atmosphere: evidence for life?, Icarus, 172 (2), 537-547.

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