Mars, the Red Planet, has long fascinated human beings. Named after the Roman God of War, its red colour is apparent even to the naked eye. It features a heavily cratered ancient crust, younger plains, canyons and volcanoes. Mars is a comparatively cold world, with average surface temperatures of around -60 degrees C.

Being our planetary neighbour Mars has been the target of several exploration missions over the past decade, most notably NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Mission. For the latest news and images taken by the twin Mars Rovers check the NASA mission website.