It was Mars Madness at The Children's Museum

It was strictly the enjoyable, informative kind of madness at last Wednesday afternoon as meteorologist Garett Argianis and planetarium director Kristie Mazzoni presented this month’s free Mars Madness event, the first part of a three-year program on planetary science funded by grants from NASA. 

As part of the current Blue Planet, Red Planet exhibit, the 45 minute discussion, held in the museum’s Travelers Science Dome, compared the weather on Mars to that on Earth, identifying similarities and many differences as well.

Before the program, Argianis commented on the enjoyment he receives from sharing his weather knowledge with people. “As an on-air meteorologist I’ve always talked to people about weather and I’ve always loved to do that. This is a great way to connect with people more personally, one on one. I like to give back and to reach out. I’ve talked to thousands of school kids across the state in the years I have been here, almost a decade. I’m from Connecticut. It’s nice to answer people’s questions and kind of just see people light up, and a spark goes off because they learn something new. It’s kind of a neat way to talk to people about weather and about getting people more interested in science. “

Mazzoni led off the program by noting that there is not a drop of water on Mars. She pointed out that there are numerous clouds, but they contain no moisture.

Yet, she went on to note, the lack of water is not the only reason that  Mars is uninhabitable. As the planet is 50 million miles farther away from the sun than the earth is, its average temperature is too cold for human life. Temperatures can range from 200 degrees below zero to a rare high of 80 degrees.

Mazzoni referred to “the Goldilocks Theory,” with Venus being too close to the sun and therefore too hot; Mars positioned too far from the sun, hence its cold temperatures; and Earth being just the right distance from the sun.

Like Earth, Mars does have seasons that depend on the tilt of its axis, but they are not the well-defined four seasons that we experience.

Mazzoni also explained that while both Mars and Earth have atmospheres, Mars’ is much thinner and its atmospheric pressure is much lighter than Earth’s. The planet’s overabundance of UV rays makes the soil rusty, and dust storms often rage due to the lack of moisture.

Argianis then discussed his specialty – the weather on Earth. The Earth’s temperatures range from 128 below zero to 136 degrees above, with the highest recorded temperature in Connecticut being 106 degrees, noted in 1995 in Danbury.

But, as Argianis pointed out, it is actually the “greenhouse effect” that helps to keep our temperatures more moderate. Without it, the Earth’s average temperature would be around zero degrees, rather than the much more tolerable 59 degrees. 

Argianis went on to explain that a key difference between the two planets’ weather is related to the atmospheres and the amount of water on the planets. On Earth, the oceans and the atmosphere combine to move heat from the equator to the poles. All of our weather is related to these streams that weave their ways across the bodies of water.

Mazzolli spoke of the importance of these free monthly programs.

“This portion of our Mars grant is designed to allow people who would otherwise not be able to afford to come to the museum to come and experience our exhibits, and also to do a few things that are different from what we do on a regular day. So we are going to have guest speakers and do special science demonstrations, and everything has a connection to space and Mars.”

Wethersfield residents Grace Mitchell, 8, and her brother David, 5, attended the presentation with their grandmother Barbara Plant of West Hartford. The siblings had no desire to live on Mars, deeming it too “sandy” for their tastes.  But six- year old Kennedy Roth of West Hartford said that she wouldn’t mind living there, but only if her family came with her.

For more information about the museum’s free monthly Mars madness events and the Blue Planet, Red Planet exhibit, go to the museums website.