Why is Mars Red? – Space

SPACE — The planet Mars is nicknamed the Red Planet. What gives the soil on Mars its red color that gives it that nickname?

Reporting from SkyAtNightMagazine, when viewed from Earth, either through a telescope on the ground or with a space telescope orbiting the Earth, it is clear that Mars is red. The striking color of Mars makes it often referred to as the ‘Red Planet’.

But if we could visit and spend a day on Mars, would we really see its surface bright red?

A large number of spacecraft, including several landers such as the Curiosity rover and the Perseverance rover, have now visited and documented Mars in detail. The probes revealed that Mars’ red surface is more nuanced butterscotch.

Mars’ red color isn’t just limited to its surface. The atmosphere also shows a reddish color.

Mars’ red color comes from the presence of an iron oxide mineral called hematite. Hematite is red when powdered, and is found in the thin surface of the soil covering the planet.

These hematite grains are very fine. Some of them are very subtle even in the thin Martian atmosphere.

What about hematite powder that gives Mars its red color?

The exact reason why Mars is red is still debated. It’s possible that the color is formed as a chemical reaction of a metallic iron precursor or another iron oxide mineral called magnetite with water, molecular oxygen, or even hydrogen peroxide.

There is also a suggestion that hematite can be produced simply by physically breaking down magnetite grains along with other minerals, which provides additional oxygen to convert them into hematite.

Is Mars always red? No.

Mars isn’t always red. In the past, Mars was thought to be more like Earth.

Mars may have a lot of liquid water on its surface, a thicker atmosphere, and have active volcanoes. When the atmosphere and water disappeared, the volcanoes became inactive, making Mars look as red as it does now.