▶ Is Mars really as red as people say it is? – Jasmine, age 14, Everson, Washington

People from cultures across the world have been looking at Mars since ancient times. Because it appears reddish, it has often been called the red planet.

The English name for the planet comes from the Romans, who named it after their god of war because its color reminded them of blood. In reality, the reddish color of Mars comes from iron oxide in the rocks and dust covering its surface.

Your blood is also red because of a mixture of iron and oxygen in a molecule called hemoglobin. So in a way, the ancient connection between the planet Mars and blood wasn’t completely wrong. Rust, which is a common form of iron oxide found here on Earth, also often has a reddish color.

In my current research on exopl

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