The orbits of Earth and Mars and the starry sky

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and Earth is the third. Like Earth, Mars has a tilted axis and therefore seasons. Its orbit, however, is much more elongated: at some times it is considerably closer to the Sun than at others. Both axial tilt and distance from the Sun strongly influence its seasons. The warmest period is summer in the southern hemisphere, during the season near perihelion, when large dust storms are characteristic. The axial tilt and day length on Mars are roughly similar to Earth’s. This is a coincidence: on Venus, the second planet, these parameters are quite different.