Martian

The word Martian is applied to a hypothetical native inhabitant of the planet Mars. Historically, life on Mars has often been hypothesized, and the notion that the planet harbours or once harboured life continues to the present day, having such proponents as Courtney Brown. While it is possible that there is or once was life on Mars, there are no scientific data to support the notion.

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The idea of intelligent Martians was popularized by Percival Lowell and in fiction, especially by H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds and Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles. Despite the observation by Alfred Wallace that Mars' atmosphere was too thin to support an Earth-like ecology, various depictions of a Martian civilization were popular throughout the twentieth century. The first pictures of Mars returned by space probes dashed hopes of contacting Martians, although dubious claims of past Martian civilizations have continued into the twenty-first century. (See face on Mars for one such claim.)

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Because of the prevalence of stories containing Martians, the idea of the Martian has become the default identity of extraterrestrial characters in popular culture. If Mars is colonized in the future by humans, the generations descended from the settlers may well be called Martians. Some members of the Mars Society, an organization devoted to such colonization, semi-humorously describe themselves as "Martians in exile".

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For various descriptions of fictional Martians, see Mars in fiction. For discussion on the possibility of Martian micro-organisms, see extraterrestrial life.

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See also Martian scientist.

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Planet: A planet in common parlance is a large object in orbit around a star that is not a star itself. The name comes from the Greek term πλανήτης, planētēs, meaning "wanderer", as ancient astronomers noted how certain lights moved across the sky in relatio...

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 a...

Life on Mars: :For the David Bowie song, see Life on Mars?...

Martian related Images and Photos (experimental)

Martian Child (DVD)	Martian Popping Thing	Flying Martian	Martian Manhunter POP! Heroes Vinyl Figure
Mars Attacks! Martian Bobble Head	Mars Attacks! Martian Bobble Head	Mars Attacks! Martian Pop Vinyl Figure	DC Comics - Martian Manhunter
DC Comics - Martian Manhunter	My Favorite Martian	Marvin the Martian Kid's Costume	Marvin the Martian Adult Costume