Space Daily September 06, 2026 • 04:30

Mars has been called the Red Planet for centuries, but a 2025 study suggests its colour comes largely from ferrihydrite—an iron mineral that typically forms rapidly in cool liquid water. If the identification is correct, Mars did not rust only after becoming a desert: - spacedaily.com

A 2025 spectral and laboratory study points to hydrated ferrihydrite as the chief pigment in Martian dust, tying the planet's colour to its wetter ancient climate.

From Earth, Mars looks red because a veil of extraordinarily fine dust sits on its surface and hangs in its atmosphere. Iron in that material has been oxidised, so the comparison with rust is useful.… [+12347 chars]

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Mars has been called the Red Planet for centuries, but a 2025 study suggests its colour comes largely from ferrihydrite—an iron mineral that typically forms rapidly in cool liquid water. If the identification is correct, Mars did not rust only after becoming a desert: - spacedaily.com

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