Final answer:
A Martian day, or sol, lasts 24 hours and 40 minutes, which is slightly longer than a day on Earth. The Martian year is made up of 668.6 sols. Precision in these measurements comes from extensive observations over the past 200 years.
Step-by-step explanation:
A day on Mars, which is often referred to as a sol, is approximately 24 hours and 40 minutes in length. This is slightly longer than an Earth day. The Martian year, which is the time Mars takes to orbit the Sun, consists of 668.6 sols. These unique time spans lead to interesting considerations when devising a Martian calendar for tracking days and seasons on Mars, as the Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos, also have different orbital periods than our Moon.
Observations of Mars and its rotation have been made for over two centuries, allowing astronomers to determine that its sidereal day lasts 24 hours, 37 minutes, and 23 seconds. This careful analysis is based on monitoring the motion of surface markings over tens of thousands of martian days, yielding a highly precise rotation period.
On Mars, a day (often called a sol) is 24 hours and 40 minutes long. This means that a day on Mars is slightly longer than a day on Earth. The longer day on Mars is due to its slower rotation compared to Earth. It takes Mars approximately 24 hours 37 minutes 23 seconds to complete one rotation, which is only a little longer than Earth's rotation.