Mars has long been called the 'Red Planet' because of its famous rusty color. And now scientists have discovered a possible source of this particular color.
Mars is the most studied planet in our solar system because of its proximity to Earth and the number of spacecraft that have visited it over the past few decades.
Visiting landers have provided scientists with data showing that Mars' red color comes from iron minerals in the soil that coats the planet.
According to the data, at some point in cosmic history iron within Martian rocks reacted with water or water and oxygen in the air to form iron oxide. Over billions of years, the iron oxide turned to dust after being carried by the winds and settled on the planet.
Previous analyzes of iron oxide on Mars found no evidence of water, which led researchers to believe the iron oxide was hematite, a dry mineral.
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