How long is a day on Mars?
Quick Answer
A day on Mars, called a sol, lasts about 24 hours and 39 minutes, while a Martian year lasts about 687 Earth days.
The Full Story
Mars rotates on its axis a little more slowly than Earth, giving a solar day of about 24 hours, 39 minutes and 35 seconds. Scientists call this a sol to avoid confusion with Earth days. Mission teams operating rovers sometimes live on “Mars time”, shifting their schedules about 40 minutes later each day. Mars takes about 687 Earth days to orbit the Sun, and because its axis is tilted about 25 degrees, similar to Earth’s 23.4, it has seasons that each last roughly twice as long as ours. The Curiosity rover has been operating on Mars for thousands of sols since landing in 2012.
Key Facts
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Suggested video title for this topic:
"Living on Mars time — the 40 extra minutes of every day"