The red color might deceive you into thinking that mars is hotter than earth – which might or might not be the case. That, or the recent news headlines that sometimes it can have a warmer temperature than some parts of the earth, especially in the winter,
might have you believe that Mars is hot, but is it really?
Mars, as compared to Earth overall, is much colder, with an average global temperature of 80 Fahrenheit. It is much farther away from the sun than Earth and also has a much thinner atmosphere. These two factors work together to make Mars a much colder planet than Earth.
It is no wonder that space is an area of study that captures great attention. Mars specifically is shrouded in mystery, and its temperature also used to be one. So to familiarize you with these important facts, in this article, we will discuss important factors that affect the temperature of Mars and its varying temperature like the Earth. We will also discuss whether Mars is hotter than Earth and why.
The Factors That Affect The Temperature On The Planets
The temperature on mars is overall much colder than on earth. This temperature is actually due to a number of factors, which includes how far it is from the sun, the density in the atmosphere, the water content, and the atmospheric composition.
It is the balance of these factors that make mars, mars, and the earth, earth. What we mean is that if the earth did not have a balanced composition of all of these factors, it could cause it to be an inhabitable planet. All these factors control the temperature of both planets.
If there is a change in that balance, it will be felt all around the planet, just like how we are witnessing climate change with the increase of greenhouse gasses in our planet’s atmosphere.
This has caused various extreme weather events to happen more often. The ice is melting, there are frequent floodings, and it is starting to get too hot. Hot enough to cause droughts in many areas with water.
If you are a visual learner, the following video may interest you:
Role Of Water In The Atmosphere And Temperature
Water, generally, is a very important part of the surface of the earth. In fact, it controls the weather and the atmosphere.
In the same way, it affects the atmosphere of mars. Mars has an atmosphere that is very rich in carbon dioxide, which is over 96%. However, the atmosphere of Mars is very thin, it makes up only 1% of Earth’s atmosphere. It is an arid, red planet.
That combination might make it a very cold planet. However, the absence of water plays a significant role in the temperature varying quite a lot. On a Martian day named Sol, the temperature changes so much that at day there is a temperature ranging somewhere above Zero Celsius; however, at night, the case might be different. It becomes as cold as -80 Celsius.
Why Does Mars Get Warmer Than Earth Sometimes?
You might have seen the news in recent times that some parts of mars were experiencing hotter temperatures than that on earth in some parts, specifically the US; it was mainly the Northern Part of America.
Depending on the area of the planet and the season, Mars experiences a wide range of temperatures, just like any other planet. It just happened to be that while Gale Crater (A Crater or Dry Lake on Mars that is under observation) was at its high day-time temperature, North America was experiencing its lows.
Cities such as Chicago and Buffalo experienced temperatures ranging from -16 to -20 Degrees Celsius. The low temperature in North America was due to the cold air coming from the North Pole. It had so much impact that some cities experienced record-low temperatures.
It is important to note that the average high temperature on earth is 57.7 Celsius, historically 70.7 Celsius being the highest in desert regions. Yet on the other side of the world, the temperature can get as cold as -89.2 Celsius in Antarctica.
Mars Temperature As Reported By Curiosity Rover
On the other hand, the Curiosity Rover has reported that Mars’ midday temperature can get as high as 20 Celsius on Mars. The Curiosity Rover is a car-sized rover on Mars that was launched in 2011. It explores the equator of Mars – that is, the Gale Crater and helps report such things as temperature. Since it is still operational, we can determine the daytime temperature of Mars.
Furthermore, some discoveries by this rover have indicated an erosion pattern in the Gale Crater – which showed that there has been water life on the planet for much, much longer ago. You might think that since there was the presence of water, it must have been warmer millions of years ago.
It Used To Be A Frozen Planet
However, that is not the case. According to scientists, Mars has been a frozen planet for billions of years because it has been quite a rigid planet for millions of years. The Red Planet may have originally been white, an arctic wilderness with an average temperature of minus 48 degree Celsius according to the other study (minus 54 degrees Fahrenheit).
According to the study, it is more probable that Mars was a colder planet, as Mars only gets partial solar energy from the earth, which is 43%. Moreover, it is said to be lit by a sun that is not as light as this one too.
Final Thoughts
No definitive answer exists to this question, as the temperature on Mars can vary greatly depending on the time of day and location. However, Mars is generally colder than Earth, with an average surface temperature of about -60 degrees Celsius. So while Mars may not be as hot as Earth, it’s still pretty cold!
