PHYSICAL PARAMETERS AND ORBITAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MARS AND THEIR COMPARISON WITH EARTH

Mars is almost half the size of Earth. Its equatorial radius is 3396.2 km; this is about 53% of the Earth's radius (6371 km). The average density of Mars is 3.93 g/cm³, which is significantly less than the average density of Earth (5.513 g/cm³). Its less dense, light-element-rich core has a lower melting point. This may explain why the core of Mars remains completely molten, despite significant cooling since its formation. Mars orbits the Sun in an orbit more elliptical than Earth's orbit, with an eccentricity close to 0.0934, with a year twice as long as the Earth's year (365.25 days). The reduced surface gravity has affected the volcanic morphology of the surface and the atmospheric evolution of Mars. This explains the colossal scale of Martian volcanoes, which are much more powerful than the largest mountains on Earth. Volcanism on Mars is one of the main factors controlling the geological evolution of Mars, which has profoundly influenced the formations on the planet's surface, the internal thermal dynamics and the past conditions in its atmosphere.