Investigation I

I. Seasons on Mars: Endless Summer Vacation?

(How Long is Summer on Mars?)

	Look at Mars in Mars:All Sun All The Time?. This is a composite of four images. Scroll down and look at the surface picture in the lower left. Can you see the north or south pole? ______ (North is up in the picture.)
	On which hemisphere, northern or southern, does the sun appear to be shining most directly? What is your evidence? ____________________
	Now examine the picture in the lower right that shows temperatures and wind information. A temperature scale is below the picture. Locate the equator. Are temperatures generally higher in the northern or southern hemisphere? _________________
	What season do you infer it to be in the northern hemisphere? Give your reasons. ___________________________________________________ (You can verify your prediction by reading information about the current season in the northern hemisphere.)
	Using Mars Temperatures With Clear Atmosphere: Cool!, infer what season the northern hemisphere is experiencing. (Look at surface temperatures. Black means no data.) What season? _____________ Reasons ___________________________
	By the way, at 30°N latitude, does it get warm enough to wear shorts and a T-shirt at noon? _____ What is the temperature in °F? ______°F (Convert by using Conversion Chart.).
	Using Mars Temperatures With Dusty Atmosphere: Dust Gets In My Eyes, infer the season the southern hemisphere is experiencing. (Look at surface temperatures. Black means no data.) What season? ______________ Reasons _________________________
	At 30°S latitude, would you be warmer at noon than you would at 30°N? ______
	What causes seasons on Mars? Read Seasons in Mars Stats for help. Give 2 major reasons. ________________________________________ ________________________________________
	In the drawing below, which position, A or B, shows the northern hemisphere in summer? ______ Because Mars' orbit is so elliptical, during which summer, northern or southern, would there probably be higher temperatures? _______ Why? ____________________________ Look at the orbit view (upper left) in Mars:All Sun All The Time? to compare the orbit of Earth and Mars. Can you identify where northern and southern summers would start? If there is a pink line, it is the path of the Mars Global Surveyor satellite which arrived at Mars on July 4, 1997.
	About how long are seasons on Earth and Mars? See Seasons in Earth Stats and Seasons in Mars Stats. A season on earth lasts about _______ days. On Mars about _______ days.
	Using Martian Seasonal Temperatures: It's Not The Heat, It's Not The Humdity, estimate when summer begins and ends in the southern hemisphere. Look at surface temperatures. The numbers represent degree days. Each degree day is about 2 Martian days. (Hint: During the southern summer, temperatures are high near the pole.) Summer begins about ______. Ends about _______. Difference _________. If each degree day is about 2 Martian days, how long was summer? ________ Is that roughly the same as you found in question 10? __________

Want to be a Martian Sun-Times reporter? Write a story using the facts you have learned in this lesson. Choose one of the styles of reporting that your teacher gave you. Email it to us!