ScienceJuly 14, 2026
sol
/sɒl/
Definition
A solar day on Mars, which is approximately 39 minutes and 35 seconds longer than an Earth day.
Etymology
The word is derived directly from the Latin 'sol,' meaning sun. It was adopted by scientists in the Mars exploration program to create a distinct unit of time that accounts for the planet's unique rotation period.
In the news
The article uses the term to precisely track the duration of the Perseverance rover's mission. It differentiates a Martian day from an Earth day to measure how quickly the rover covered its marathon distance.
NASA's Perseverance just completed a marathon on Mars
Read the full article ↗ScienceDaily