Humans have been training telescopes on Mars for hundreds of years and gazing up at it for thousands. Despite the fact that scientists have now sent more spacecraft to Mars than any other extraterrestrial planet,

Results from a new study show that the water-rich iron mineral ferrihydrite may be the main pigment behind Mars’ reddish dust.

For decades, scientists believed that Mars’ red color came from hematite, a type of iron oxide that forms under dry conditions. This theory aligned with the prevailing view of Mars as a planet that lost its water billions of years ago, leaving behind a desolate, rusted landscape. But Valantinas and his team have turned this idea on its head.

A study suggests Mars takes its red hue from a type of mineral that forms in cool water, which could reveal insights about whether Mars was ever able to support life.

The Red Planet, as it’s often called, has a distinct hue, and a new theory about this coloration could have implications for our understanding of Mars' evolution.

New research has revealed that Martian dust's red hue comes from reactions that occurred in wet — not dry — conditions, and it could have implications for the possibility of life on the planet.