South of Mars’ equator, where the Curiosity rover is recording weather data, is experiencing what Whitten calls a “tropical wintertime.”Ī self portrait of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity on the surface of Mars. Here in North America, we’re in the midst of a bitter winter. Right now its axial tilt is about the same as it is on Earth, which means that as the planet orbits around the Sun, you’re having the same type of seasons on Mars as we experience on Earth,” Jennifer Whitten, postdoctoral fellow at the Museum’s Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, said.

“Similar to the Earth, Mars is tilted on its axis. There are other things to consider when comparing weather data, like the seasons of the respective planets and the locations where temperature is measured. Many glacial landforms from the last time this occurred can still be seen on Mars. During periods of higher obliquity, the atmosphere is thicker, dust storms are more intense, and water now trapped at the poles moves to the equatorial region to form mountain glaciers. As a result, the tug of gravity from the Sun and the large planets causes a slow wobble in the tilt, or obliquity, of its axis. Mars has no large satellite like the Moon, just its two small moons Phobos and Deimos. Like Earth, Mars spins on an axis tilted about 25 degrees from its orbital plane. “The thinner atmosphere is the big game changer,” he said. While we experience temperature drops like that here on Earth-Shindell compared it to how hot desert climates cool substantially after sundown-it happens on a much different scale on Mars. The sand and rocks of Mars’ surface lose their heat quickly. Temperatures also dip drastically from day to night because there is little to retain heat on the planet. There might be a 15-20 degree temperature change between where your feet are and where your head is if you were standing on Mars,” Matthew Shindell, curator of planetary science and exploration, said. “The temperature on Mars right near the surface, in the path of the Sun, is going to be a lot warmer than if you were to raise even five feet up. Because it has about a sixth of the pressure of Earth’s atmosphere, the planet doesn’t retain heat very long, causing temperatures to drop quickly. Overall, Mars is cold-its average global temperature is around -80 degrees Fahrenheit-and has a much thinner atmosphere than Earth.

But how does Mars’ climate compare to that of our home planet? Those are temperatures so frigid that parts of Mars-a cold, desert planet-are actually warmer than certain spots in the U.S. The northeastern United States is experiencing record-breaking cold weather, with temperatures 20 to 30 degrees below average, according to the National Weather Service.

Face of mars locatipn