29. Martian years are twice as long as Earth years.
How long is a year? Well, the answer depends on what planet you are on. A year is defined by how long a world takes to orbit around the sun, so one year for planets that are much farther out in the solar system is more than 200 years on Earth! Mercury and Venus, which are closer to the sun, have shorter years than we do because they zip around more quickly.
Because Mars is farther away from the sun than the Earth is, its years are about twice as long. That means that its seasons also last twice as long, and it’s brutally cold winters — with known temperatures that get down to -280 Fahrenheit — probably last for more than one full Earth year. Martian summers might be quite pleasant because the highest recorded temperature is only 86 degrees Fahrenheit, compared to 136 on Earth.