![The seasons of Mars, a result of the planet’s inclination of 24.9° to its orbital plane. At …[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]](http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/24/73524-004-FE703459.jpg)
The seasons of Mars, a result of the planet’s inclination of 24.9° to its orbital plane. At present, southern summer occurs when Mars’s elongated orbit brings it nearest the Sun. As the seasons change, the polar caps alternately grow and shrink. At its maximum size the southern cap extends about 5° more equatorward than the northern cap.
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