The Red Planet Has a Purple Side

The Red Planet Has a Purple Side

Mars appears red because of iron oxides in the regolith. But it's not uniformly red. Different lighting conditions and different materials accumulated on the surface can make it appear purple, as in these images from Mars Express and its High-Resolution Stereo Camera.

Gorgeous Purple Swirls Captured In Stunning New Image Of Mars's South Pole

The Red Planet has a wider palette of colors than its name would suggest.

Purple Swirls on the Red Planet: ESA Shares New View of Mars

Mars has plenty of ice, volcanic rock, sand and dust, a heaven for landscape photographers. A new image from ESA’s Mars Express brings all of...