Mars quietly shapes Earth's ice ages
A new study reveals that Mars's gravity plays a major behind-the-scenes role in Earth's long-term climate cycles, which trigger our planet's ice ages.
These cycles, called Milankovitch cycles, last millions of years and drive dramatic shifts in Earth's climate.
Take Mars away? Big changes for Earth
Researchers found that if Mars vanished, two key climate cycles—one lasting 2.4 million years and another 100,000 years—would disappear too.
These cycles are linked to the rise and fall of ice ages on Earth, while a separate cycle driven by Venus and Jupiter would still stick around.
Mars helps keep Earth's tilt steady
Mars also helps stabilize the angle of Earth's tilt (that familiar 23.5 degrees), making changes in our tilt less extreme over time.
Its mass and distance from the Sun give it extra gravitational pull on us—researcher Stephen Kane put it simply: "It punches above its weight."