A day on Mars, called a "sol," is approximately 24 hours, 39 minutes, and 35 seconds long. This means a Martian day is about 40 minutes longer than an Earth day
. More specifically:
- The sidereal day on Mars (rotation relative to distant stars) is about 24 hours, 37 minutes, and 22 seconds.
- The solar day (the time for the Sun to return to the same position in the sky) is about 24 hours, 39 minutes, and 35 seconds, which is the length of a sol
This slight difference between sidereal and solar days arises because Mars rotates in the same direction as it orbits the Sun, causing the solar day to be a bit longer. In summary, a Martian day or sol is roughly 24 hours and 40 minutes, making it just over 2.7% longer than an Earth day
