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Barsoom (known to humans as Mars, and known as Garobus by Jupiter's inhabitants) is the fourth planet in the Solar System, and the main setting of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Martian novels. It is orbited by the moons Thuria (Phobos) and Cluros (Deimos). In the distant past, it bore five seas, the largest and mightiest of them being Throxeus. Today these oceans are all but dried out, and the planet now has very little water. The planet's inhabitants all speak Barsoomian.

Compensatory Adjustment of Masses[]

There exists a peculiar relationship between Barsoom and its satellites, that does not exist between any other planet and its satellites in the solar system. It was first suggested by an obscure scientist thousands of years ago, and later it was proven. What happens is that any mass approaching the satellites will change in size and mass as to be proportioned the same as they are on Barsoom to the satellite they are now on.

Native Time Measurement[]

To best understand time measurement on Barsoom, when being explained to an Earthman, it is best to put it in terms understandable to Earth time first.

A Barsoomian day is 24 hours, 36 minutes long to an Earthman, roughly 1.025 Earth days.  A Barsoomian year is 687 Earth days long, roughly 1.88 Earth years.

Now, with a Barsoomian day being 1.025 Earth days long, and a Barsoomian year being 1.88 Earth years long, this translates out to:

A Barsoomian Year is 670.25 Barsoomian days long.  Even Barsoomians have to have a leap year every four years.  Barsoomians further break down their 'year' thusly:

A Barsoomian year is One Ord.

A Barsoomian Month is called a Teean, and is 67 days long.

The Barsoomian Day is called a Padan.

So an ord (year) is ten teean's long, and each teean is 67 days. Burroughs never mentioned if the teean's have specific names like on Earth, or where the leap day would go.

Days, or Padan, are further broken down.

A Padan lasts 10 zodes, each zode is 50 xats, and each xat is 200 tal.

A zode is 2 hours, 27 minutes and 42 seconds long in Earth time.  A xat is 2 minutes, 57 seconds long, and a tal is .886 seconds long.

Zodes are also individually numbered, the first of which begins at the dawn of the winter solstice.

Places of Interest[]

Cities & Kingdoms[]

Geographic Locations[]

Native Wildlife[]

Humanoids[]

  1. Red Martians
  2. Green Martians
  3. White Martians
  4. Black Martians
  5. Yellow Martians
  6. Kaldanes (and Rykors)
  7. Kangaroo Men
  8. Hormad

Fauna[]

  1. Apts
  2. White Apes
  3. Banths
  4. Calot
  5. Malagor
  6. Silian
  7. Sith
  8. Thoat
  9. Ulsio
  10. Zitidar

Flora[]

  1. Calot Tree
  2. Gloresta
  3. Mantalia
  4. Ochre Moss
  5. Pimalia
  6. Plant Men
  7. Purple Grass
  8. Red Sward
  9. Skeel
  10. Sorapus
  11. Sompus
  12. Usa

Influence[]

Popular Culture[]

Barsoom is mentioned in many different aspects of science-fiction popular culture, and has even influenced modern science-fiction.

  • Barsoom is referenced in the works of Star Wars. Barsoom Boulevard was a street on Coruscant mentioned in the book Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter.
  • In Doctor Who Magazine #118, it is shown that the Doctor has a map of Barsoom.
  • In Dynamite's Warlord of Mars, the planet is referred to as Rautt by the native inhabitants of Strio (Saturn).
  • In Mars Attacks Popeye a 1-shot comic released in early 2013, the invaders are referred to as Barsoomus Invadus.
  • In the animated series Young Justice, a Martian character named "B'arzz O'oomm" was introduced.
  • James Cameron's Avatar was inspired by John Carter's adventures on Barsoom. This was confirmed in an interview with James Cameron in 2009.

Gallery[]

External Links[]

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