Earth or Mars? See the 'deceptively' clear blue sky spotted on the Red Planet
An enhanced mosaic image from Mars looks like it could have been taken from Death Valley National Park or another desert landscape on Earth.
NASA's Mars rock sample collection
This NASA video montage shows high-resolution imagery from Perseverance’s CacheCam of rock cores inside the rover's sample tubes. The rock cores were drilled by the rover between February 202 and December 2024,.
The Martian forecast will almost always include a red sky, but a recent panorama captured by NASA’s rover Perseverance shows what a blue sky would look like on the Red Planet.
Iron in the dust on Mars is what gives the planet its rusty hue. In its natural color, a photo taken at a location dubbed "Falbreen" is very red. In the name of science, imaging teams enhanced the color-contrast on the image to reveal more details.
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The final panoramic image is a mosaic of 96 images taken at a location by the Perseverance rover.
An enhanced-color mosaic of the area on Mars known as "Falbreen," which NASA said shows "deceptively blue skies." The image features a white area left of center where Perseverance rover drilled a hole. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS / NASA)
"The relatively dust-free skies provide a clear view of the surrounding terrain," said Jim Bell, Mastcam-Z’s principal investigator at Arizona State University in Tempe. "And in this particular mosaic, we have enhanced the color contrast, which accentuates the differences in the terrain and sky."
The image below is not enhanced and shows the true reddish tint of the clear Martian sky.
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A natural-color mosaic of the area on Mars known as "Falbreen." The image features a white area left of center where Perseverance rover drilled a hole. In this image, colors have not been enhanced and the sky appears more reddish. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS / NASA)
The bright white patch in the image left of the center is where Perseverance drilled its 43rd hole since its landing. Drilling into the red rock and dirt allows the rover’s science team to see what is below before deciding to take a sample. Eventually, the Mars Sample Return mission will bring back some of these samples to Earth.