Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the
Solar System after Mercury. Mars is a dusty, cold, desert world with a very thin atmosphere. This dynamic planet has seasons, polar ice caps, extinct volcanoes, canyons and weather.
But as these pictures reveal, Earth is not the only planet with snow scenes this holiday season.
This is the Korolev crater, near the north pole of Mars, as captured by the European Space Agency (ESA)'s Mars Express mission.
The crater is 82km (50 miles) across, and filled with ice 1.8km thick.
It was named after rocket engineer and spacecraft designer Sergei Korolev, the architect of the Soviet Union's space programme.
Mr Korolev worked on the first interplanetary missions to the Moon, Mars and Venus, and the Sputnik programme, which launched the world's first artificial satellite.
Scientists have found lots of evidence that Mars was much wetter and warmer, with a thicker atmosphere, billions of years ago.
To get more facts about Mars Click here
