According to a discovery by NASA, it seems the colour of the planet Mars is not red but green. In a series of images, the space company has just discovered the colour of the neighbouring planet. Released through the Perseverance Rover, the little robot has just sent back some photos that have NASA scientists asking a lot of questions about their origin.
The colour of Mars as seen by NASA
While it has been widely known that the colour of Mars is red, it turns out that some of the rocks it found have green stains on them. According to the report, this discovery was made on the “Red Planet” also referred to as Mars.
AS.com says no one expected to see anything like that color there and these are the first samples the Perseverance Rover has sent back that are this color – they caught all the scientists off guard, as well as leaving them struggling to explain where this pigmentation on the rock came from.
Does this mean there is life on Mars?
Many scientists and planet earth researchers are surprised and this discovery has sparked many questions. Everyone is questioning this color and many are tempted to think that, could there is life at Mars.
“But we need to be cautious, as jumping to conclusions about life on Mars just because of some green stains on a rock is a bit too ambitious,” reports Miguel Coralles.
“Experts have warned us not to rush to conclusions, as people tend to get too excited and spread wild theories before having solid evidence.
“The experts think these green stains might not be anything extraterrestrial, but rather minerals that just happen to look this way because they reflect sunlight in unusual ways that we’re not used to. So, while discovering life on Mars would certainly be incredible and a historic milestone, we can’t get too excited just yet, since there’s no real evidence pointing to that.”
What scientists says about this finding on Mars
An unnamed scientist who was part of the Perseverance crew said something that many thought was interesting:
“The discovery of these spots was completely unexpected. We still don’t know what they are. But they definitely piqued our interest. There are many possibilities, but we need time to explore them.”
Relations to Martian water
Based on a theory that is doing the rounds, the green stains found on the rocks on Mars could be related to water. Generally, we know that Mars used to have water and billions of years ago, rivers and lakes flowed across its surface.
Because all that water is locked away at the planet’s poles in the form of permanent ice caps today, some scientists and scholars believe these green spots might be minerals that form in the presence of water.
“If that’s true, it would be another clue that Mars could have had conditions suitable for life. Of course, this is all just speculation at the moment,” it is reported.
Moreover, Corrales argues that while there is hope that this means NASA has discovered something groundbreaking, the scientists are asking us to stay grounded.
Just like with many of the most important scientific discoveries in history including the one on Mars, there is no doubt that it will take time to fully determine the origin of these green stains and their meaning compared to what we know, whether they’re related to extraterrestrial life or not.