Mars
Is Mars really red? A physicist explains the planet’s reddish hue and why it looks different to some telescopes
Is Mars really red? A physicist explains the planet’s reddish hue and why it looks different to some telescopes Mars’ reddish hue comes from iron oxide in rocks and dust covering its surface, not just blood as ancient cultures believed. The planet’s color can vary depending on the location, with most of Mars appearing rusty […]
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Sols 4561-4562: Prepping to Drill at Altadena
Sols 4561-4562: Prepping to Drill at Altadena The Curiosity rover is preparing to drill at Altadena, a location chosen for its potential chemistry and geological features. The rover will conduct a “preload test” to determine if the drilling process will be successful and if the target rock has the desired chemistry. Due to power constraints, […]
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Searching for Ancient Rocks in the ‘Forlandet’ Flats
Searching for Ancient Rocks in the ‘Forlandet’ Flats The NASA Perseverance rover has entered the “Forlandet” quadrangle, a flat terrain area outside Jezero Crater on Mars, where it will search for ancient rocks that could be among the oldest ever observed. The science team hopes to find rocks with olivine and carbonate formations, which could […]
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NASA Mars Orbiter Captures Volcano Peeking Above Morning Cloud Tops
NASA Mars Orbiter Captures Volcano Peeking Above Morning Cloud Tops NASA’s Mars Orbiter Captures First-Ever Panorama of Arsia Mons Volcano Poking Above Morning Clouds The image was captured by NASA’s 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter on May 2, 2025, while studying the Red Planet’s atmosphere, offering a unique perspective of Mars’ horizon. Arsia Mons, one of […]
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Early visions of Mars: Meet the 19th-century astronomer who used science fiction to imagine the red planet
Early visions of Mars: Meet the 19th-century astronomer who used science fiction to imagine the red planet Camille Flammarion was a 19th-century astronomer who used science fiction to imagine life on Mars, making him one of the first scientists to consider the possibility of extraterrestrial life. In his book “The Planet Mars” (1892), Flammarion created […]
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Sols 4559-4560: Drill Campaign — Searching for a Boxwork Bedrock Drill Site
Sols 4559-4560: Drill Campaign — Searching for a Boxwork Bedrock Drill Site The NASA Curiosity rover has decided to collect a drill sample from the outer edge of the boxwork-forming geologic unit, as geochemical measurements suggest changes in mineralogy. However, the team was unable to find a suitable spot for drilling due to fractured or […]
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Sols 4554–4555: Let’s Try That One Again…
Sols 4554–4555: Let’s Try That One Again… The Curiosity rover on Mars successfully completed its second attempt at collecting data after a temporary issue with the arm prevented it from doing so on Tuesday. The rover collected additional mosaics of nearby features, including a 15×2 Mastcam mosaic of the “Mishe Mokwa” hill and an 11×2 […]
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Sol 4553: Back to the Boxwork!
Sol 4553: Back to the Boxwork! Curiosity rover has returned to its “boxwork” terrain area, where it will investigate targets dubbed “Sisquoc River” and “Palo Verde Mountains”. The rover acquired an image of its workspace using its Left Navigation Camera on May 27, 2025, showing resistant, ridge-like features that are of interest for studying fluid-flow […]
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NASA’s MAVEN Makes First Observation of Atmospheric Sputtering at Mars
NASA’s MAVEN Makes First Observation of Atmospheric Sputtering at Mars NASA’s MAVEN mission has made its first direct observation of atmospheric sputtering on Mars, a process that could help explain the history of water loss on the planet. Sputtering occurs when atoms are knocked out of the atmosphere by energetic charge particles from the solar […]
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A Dust Devil Photobombs Perseverance!
A Dust Devil Photobombs Perseverance! The Perseverance rover on Mars recently took a selfie to celebrate its 1,500th Martian day, but it was photobombed by a dust devil! The dust devil, about 100 meters across, was captured by the WATSON camera on the end of the rover’s robotic arm for the first time. The rover had […]
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