Mars
Mars was named after the Roman god of war (Greek counterpart, Ares). Mars is rust coloured and its appearance in the sky is said to herald times of war and strife. Mars is the 4th planet from the sun, and is 4070 miles in diameter. The surface of Mars is extremely cold (0° Farenheit) and windy. A good quality backyard telescope can see the seasons change. Mars has two moons, Phobos (fear) and Deimos (panic). Phobos is the larger of the moons with a diameter of about 17 miles. Phobos has a large impact crater and looks as though it was nearly broken into pieces. Deimos is being drawn closer to Mars by the planet's gravitational pull and will eventually impact the planet's surface.
