How Long is a Martian Day?

The Martian day, or the time it takes Mars to rotate once on it's axis, is about a half an hour longer than an Earth day. Its year, or the time it takes to revolve once around the Sun, is about two Earth year long.

Mars is a relatively small planet, about half the diameter of the Earth and about one-tenth of the Earth's mass. Because of the relative movements of the Earth and Mars around the Sun, Mars appears to move backwards in the sky for a short time when the two planets are closest.

The Red Planet

Mars is named after the Roman god of war because it appears fiery red in the Earth's night sky. The surface of Mars is covered by a stony desert that contains lots of iron oxide, giving it its rusty-red appearance.