Despite advances in science, Mars, the fourth planet in the Solar System, is still full of secrets that attract the attention of scientists.

On July 30, a robotic vehicle called Perseverance left for the planet Mars, which will be controlled from Earth. This small team will bring us more information about the so-called Red Planet. But what have been the main findings previously discovered?

Liquid water lake

In 2018, the Marsis radar, installed on board the Mars Express Orbiter exploration mission coordinated by the European Space Agency (ESA), discovered a lake of liquid salt water which is presumed to be at least one meter deep. , then reported the group of Italian scientists who were at the forefront of the discovery.

This important finding is the first sign of the existence of liquid water on the fourth planet of the solar system. In the past, Mars had water, however, the cooling of the planet and its weak atmosphere caused it to disappear or turn into ice.

Spiders from mars

The automatic interplanetary multiplatform station Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter discovered on May 13, 2018 some “giant spiders” on the surface of the red planet.

The “arachnids” correspond to a carbon dioxide ice cap which, once the sunlight hits it, reproduces the false image of the aforementioned animal.

The blue sunsets of the red planet

NASA’s rover Curiosity first photographed the red planet’s blue sunsets. The left camera of the mechanic sent from Earth actually recorded a video of which we know its most beautiful frames.

The image, more than for its beauty, served for scientists to study the composition and fall of the nocturnal dust of Mars, something fundamental to understand the origin of the planet.

Not only sunsets, but also blue dunes

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) discovered large blue dunes with green hues on January 24, 2018.

The coloration is due to accumulations of methane gas together with organic molecules in rocks from more than 3 billion years ago. The most shocking thing is that the latter could suggest the presence of ancient life forms.

Life on Mars?

The long-awaited life on Mars, whether it was disappeared or currently existing, has not been fully proven. So those who want to dream of a destroyed civilization that migrated to Earth must wait a little longer.

However, the Viking probes sent by NASA more than 40 years ago, especially the Labeled Release, or LR robotics team, provided evidence that could hint at the possibility of ancient life forms, something that is still being investigated by scientists. .

So why is Mars red?

Although the fourth planet in the solar system has blue sunsets and dunes, from Earth we see it red due to the high concentrations of iron oxide on its surface.

So, every time we have the possibility to see the fourth planet of the solar system from our homes, we will continue to see it red, and we will never be able to enjoy the sunsets and blue dunes. Unless we can ever visit Mars.