Mars has long been known as the “red planet” because of its color, which refers to rust.

Scientists, recently, seem to have discovered the real cause behind the creation of this red shade, questioning previous theories. It is one of the most studied planets in our solar system because of its proximity to Earth.

“Mars remains the red planet“Said the lead author of the study, Antomas Valantina, a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences at the University of Brown. “Just our understanding of the reason Mars is red has changed“

The red color of Mars It was thought to come from hematite, a mineral formed in dry conditions through reactions with the atmosphere. However, new research suggests that the cause may be Ferrihydrite, an iron oxide formed in the presence of cool water. This discovery suggests that Mars had water in liquid form on its surface much earlier than we believed, and that it may have been habitable before it became cold and uninhabited.

“Although dust covers everything on Mars, it is difficult to study and presents a riddle“, Said Briony Horgan, a co-researcher on the mission of Persevence Rover and Professor of Planetary Sciences at Purdue University in Indiana. Horgan did not participate in the study.

Previous surveys had proposed Ferriidritis as a possible cause for the red color of Mars, but the new study combines for the first time laboratory methods with observation data from various missions to Mars, such as that of NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Exomars Trace Gas Orbiter ESA, to offer evidence. They created copies of the dust of Mars in a laboratory and compared them to the red planet. The results led to the Ferriidritis, which is mixed with volcanic stone, to the source of the red color, not the hematite. This mineral requires both oxygen and water to form, suggesting that Mars once had an environment with flowing water.

This finding can change what we knew about Mars’ past, indicating that the water had a different presence than we thought in the composition of the planet and possibly supported the existence of life. More studies, including the analysis of Mars samples that will be returned to Earth, will help confirm the findings and reveal more secrets to the history of the planet.