Red Planet Day

November 28 is Red Planet Day, a day to celebrate and learn more about the Red Planet – Mars. The planet is called so because it appears red in color.

The date of the unofficial holiday commemorates the day in 1964 when Mariner 4, a robotic interplanetary probe was launched by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Close-up of Mars

In the 8 months it was on its mission, the Mariner 4 became the first spacecraft to successfully fly by Mars. It also gave the world the first close-up images of Mars. Since then several exploratory missions have been sent to Mars to gather data about the planet.

Today, 5 spacecrafts orbit Mars and 2 spacecrafts – the Curiosity Rover and the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity – are on the planet’s surface. All 7 send incredible amount of data about the planet back to astronomers on Earth.

Similar to Earth

Named after the Roman god of war, Mars is the seventh smallest planet in the Solar System. Similar to Earth in many ways – it has the same rotational period and seasonal cycles – Mars has 2 moons, Deimos and Phobos, and has the largest volcano, Olympus Mons, in the Solar System.

Because of its similarity to Earth, many astronomers and scientists believe that at some point in its history Mars may have been a hospitable planet for life.

FYI…

…that the reason Mars appears red is because its surface is rich in iron oxide or rust?

Red Planet Day

November 28 is Red Planet Day, a day to celebrate and learn more about the Red Planet – Mars. The planet is called so because it appears red in color.

The date of the unofficial holiday commemorates the day in 1964 when Mariner 4, a robotic interplanetary probe was launched by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Close-up of Mars

In the 8 months it was on its mission, the Mariner 4 became the first spacecraft to successfully fly by Mars. It also gave the world the first close-up images of Mars. Since then several exploratory missions have been sent to Mars to gather data about the planet.

Today, 5 spacecrafts orbit Mars and 2 spacecrafts – the Curiosity Rover and the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity – are on the planet’s surface. All 7 send incredible amount of data about the planet back to astronomers on Earth.

Similar to Earth

Named after the Roman god of war, Mars is the seventh smallest planet in the Solar System. Similar to Earth in many ways – it has the same rotational period and seasonal cycles – Mars has 2 moons, Deimos and Phobos, and has the largest volcano, Olympus Mons, in the Solar System.

Because of its similarity to Earth, many astronomers and scientists believe that at some point in its history Mars may have been a hospitable planet for life.

FYI…

…that the reason Mars appears red is because its surface is rich in iron oxide or rust?

Cake Day is on November 26. Have your cake and eat it too on one of the greatest holidays ever invented.

Also known as National Cake Day, this unofficial holiday whose origins are unknown, celebrates and honors cake, the food of champions.

Used for Religious Ceremonies

Cake has been everyone’s favorite dessert since ancient times, though the earliest cakes were more like bread and were usually sweetened with honey. These cakes were mostly used for religious purposes and in religious and cultural ceremonies and were usually round in shape since they were made and molded by hands.

These days, advances in baking technology have made cake baking and decorating a specialized culinary field with bakers and decorators constantly trying to create elaborate, gravity defying cakes.

Symbol of Celebration

In modern times, cake is seen as a symbol of celebration. Most special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries and weddings prominently feature cakes.

In popular culture, the term cake day is also sometimes used to refer to one’s birthday. On the popular social media website Reddit, the term is used when marking the anniversary of the day a member’s username was born. Users usually add an icon of a cake next to their names on that day.

FYI…

…that the term cake comes from the Old Norse word kaka?