When Was Mars Discovered

Just like Venus, Planet Mars is known for its brightness, which is why it can be easily spotted and seen by anyone in the sky at night. Because of this fact, the first exact person to who discovered the planet is unknown. The only thing that every person knew about the planet is that its name was taken from the god of war of Romans due to the presence of its reddish color that can be compared to blood.

On 1659, a person named Christian Huygens was able to discover a feature that is strange in the Red Planet’s surface, which was later referred to as Syrtis Major. In the year 1802, a scientist was too convinced about the presence of life in planet Mars and on 1877, an astronomer named as Giovanni Schiaparelli made the discovery of what he viewed and believed as numerous lines that cross one another. He later claimed that such lines were actually water canals created by intelligent creatures in Mars.

Mariner 9 made a visit on Mars last 1971 and it discovered the Olympus Mons, which is considered the most popular volcano. This volcano is too massive that it can cover the entire state of Missouri. The visit also found proofs of the fact that water had once flowed on the Red Planet but the famous canals claimed by Schiaparelli were still left without proof. The visit did not see sights of these canals.

Spacecrafts referred to as Viking I and II were able to land the planet Mars for the purpose of studying its surface. They made analysis of the soil and rocks present within the planet and provided information regarding its weather patterns and atmosphere. Until today, Mars is still being explored for the purpose of finding information still unknown about the planet.

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