Myths about Mars

Mars was the son of Jupiter and Juno, and was the Roman god of war. Mars was the lover of Venus and the father of the famous Roman heroes Romulus and Remus, who were said to have founded the city of Rome. For that reason, Mars was believed to come to the aid of Romans in times of crisis. He was widely worshiped by Roman legions. The month of March is named after him.
Ares was the Greek god of war. He was identified with the Roman god, <a href="/mythology/mars.html&edu=high&dev=1">Mars</a>. This marble sculpture, called the "Ludovisi Ares", is a Roman copy after a Greek original from ca. 320 BC.<p><small><em>Ludovisi Collection. Image courtesy of Marie-Lan Nguyen, Wikipedia Commons, public domain. </em></small></p>

Explore Myths about Mars

Roman: Mars

Ares was the Greek god of war. He was identified with the Roman god, Mars. Ares was driven ...Read more

Hindu: Mangala

In Hindu mythology, the planet Mars is known as Mangala. Hindus believed in the existence ...Read more

Maya: Mars

Mayans were sophisticated observers of the sky. Mayans used their astronomical knowledge to ...Read more

Explore Myths about other nearby planets

Roman: Venus

Venus was the goddess of love and beauty. To the perfection of her figure and the purity of ...Read more

Aztec: Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli

Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli is an Aztec deity representing the planet Venus and an apparition of ...Read more

Roman: Jupiter

In Roman mythology, Jupiter was the king of heaven and Earth and of all the Olympian gods. ...Read more

Roman: Ganymede

Ganymede was a son of Tros, first king of the classical land known as Troy. One day Jupiter ...Read more

Roman: Io

Io was a priestess of the Greek goddess Hera. Hera was the jealous wife of Zeus, the king of ...Read more

Roman: Europa

Europa was the beautiful daughter of the Phoenician king of Tyre, Agenor. Zeus (Jupiter), the ...Read more

Historical Events

Full Earth and Space Science    History Calendar (Members only)

Teacher Opportunities

Full Teacher Events Calendar (Educator Members only)

Did you know?

Did you know that the Phoenix Mars Lander landed on Mars on 25 May, 2008?

Did you know that different cultures imagined different constellations, based on their own cultural context?

 

Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

Do you know what this word or phrase means?

Graben
xGraben : A graben is a down-dropped block of the earth's crust resulting from extension, or pulling, of the crust.

Click on the word to find out!

Research Highlights

Oldest Earth Mantle Reservoir Discovered

Researchers have found a primitive Earth mantle reservoir on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic. Geologist Matthew Jackson and his colleagues from a multi-institution collaboration report the finding--the...Read more


Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA