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Celebrate The Martian New Year To Fill That Springtime Holiday Void

The Martian New Year comes every 22 months or so, when spring arrives on the red planet.

By: Evan Thomas

Posted at 5:21 PM, May 05, 2017

and last updated 2017-05-05 17:21:06-04

Got your party hats ready? May 5 marks ... the Martian New Year. That seems a little odd since we're in the middle of Earth's year, but there's a reason Mars' date falls where it does.

NASA usually measures time in the solar system against the Earth standard — where our planet takes 365 days to go around the sun.

Mars orbits farther from the sun than Earth does. One year there takes 687 Earth days, or almost 23 months.

The Mars New Year coincides with the the start of spring in its northern hemisphere. The planet doesn't have the atmosphere for rain showers, but it will get dust storms.

To celebrate, NASA is in Mars, Pennsylvania, for a few days of science and technology exhibits about Mars exploration. Yes, it's not the real Mars, but the weather should be much nicer, and there's still parking for spaceships.