User:Mcdavis941/mars
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{{Planet Infobox/Mars}}
- This article is about the planet. For the Roman mythological figure, see Mars (god); for other meanings, see Mars (disambiguation).
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the solar system. It is named after Mars, the god of war in Roman mythology (the counterpart to Ares, the god of war in Greek mythology) because of its red colour as viewed in the night sky. This feature also earned it the name of "the Red Planet." Mars has two moons (Phobos and Deimos) which are both small and oddly-shaped, possibly being captured asteroids. The prefix areo- refers to Mars.
Its symbol, ♂ (a circle with a small arrow pointing out from behind it), is a stylized representation of the god Mars' shield and spear. This symbol is also used to represent the male sex.
Mars happens to be intertwined with Ancient Egypt in curious ways:
The planet was known as "Horus the Red" (Hor Dshr), and for a long time the Sphinx was painted red. They also called it "Horus of the Horizon" (Horakhti), which was the same name given to the Great Sphinx. Because of Mars' apparent retrograde motion, Egyptians said that it "traveled backwards." The Egyptian capital Cairo, situated adjacent to Giza, derives its name from Al Qahira (Arabic name for Cairo) denoting Mars. (More literally it means ‘the victorious’.)
Chinese, Korean, and Japanese culture designates the planet Mars with the characters 火星, which translate as "Star of Fire". This is based on Five Elements which was traditionally used to classify natural elements.
Mars is also very important in Indian culture. In Jyotish, Mars is known in Sanskrit as Mangal (auspicious), Angaraka (burning coal), and Kuja (the fair one). It represents energetic action, confidence and ego. Also, in Ancient Hindu myths Mars is Nr-Simha, the "Man-Lion".
Mars is also important to astrology. According to Marcus Manilius (1st century AD) in his epic (8000 verses) poem Astronomica, Mars is ardent, and presides over the genitals. Called "The Bringer Of War" in Alan Leo's What is a Horoscope?, since the planet is associated with the Roman god of war, Mars in Western astrology is associated with confident, aggressive personalities. Mars is the ruling planet of Aries. Before the discovery of Pluto, Mars was also the ruling planet of Scorpio (and still is for the more traditional astrologers).
In Chinese astrology, Mars is ruled by the element Fire.
Mars would appear to fall under the auspices of the Outer Space Treaty, placing it under the same jursidiction as international waters and disallowing weapons of mass destruction or military installations of any kind. When and if the colonization of Mars becomes feasible, the issue will probably be reconsidered, especially considering the value of the planet's natural resources.