Is Mars Actually Pink? A Physicist Explains the Science Behind Its Color and Extra

Mars has been inspiring human creativeness for millennia, primarily as a result of it has a reddish color, which earned it the title “Pink Planet”. Its color was related by the traditional Romans with blood and struggle; thus, they named it after their god of struggle. The redness is the end result, scientifically, of iron oxide — rust that coats the floor of Mars. But photographs of the floor produced by robotic probes have proven a extra refined spectrum. A lot of the terrain seems extra like dusty tan or rusty brown. Even the poles defy the planet’s nickname, presenting as shiny white on account of water ice and frozen carbon dioxide that develop and contract with seasonal daylight.