Mars in a Minute: How Long is a Year on Mars?

A year on Mars is longer than a year on Earth because Mars moves more slowly around the Sun.

Imagine you and your friend are both running laps around a track, you're fast, but your friend is slower. If you start together, you'll finish each lap before your friend does. That’s like how Earth goes around the Sun faster than Mars does.

Earth takes about 365 days to go all the way around the Sun, that's one year. Mars is farther away and doesn’t move as quickly, so it takes about 687 Earth days to make a full circle.

Think of it like walking around your neighborhood. If you take big steps and walk fast, you'll get back home quicker. But if you're slower and take smaller steps, it will take longer, just like Mars!

That means a year on Mars is almost twice as long as a year on Earth! So, if you lived on Mars, your birthday would come around much less often than it does here, but that might make it extra special when it finally arrives! 🎉