The Red Planet Is Actually Not So Red Up Close; NASA Curiosity Rover Sent Images Of Purple Rocks From Martian Surface

The NASA Curiosity rover has been traveling through the rocks and terrains on the Martian surface. The recently sent photos captured by the Mast Camera near the base of Mount Sharp reveal that the surface of the Red Planet is scattered with purple-colored rocks. Though Mars looks red as a whole and is thus nicknamed as the Red Planet, scientists say that in the light of the latest discoveries made by the NASA Curiosity rover, it seems Mars is much more than just a red lifeless planet.

According to Space.com, the images that show the presence of purple-colored rocks were taken by the rover in three different angles on Nov. 10, 2016. "Variations in color of the rocks hint at the diversity of their composition on lower Mount Sharp," scientists informed. They further said that, "The purple tone of the foreground rocks has been seen in other rocks where Curiosity's Chemical and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument has detected hematite," which is an iron oxide mineral type.

According to some other scientists working on the Mars Mission, "Winds and windblown sand in this part of Curiosity's traverse and in this season tend to keep rocks relatively free of dust, which otherwise can cloak rocks' color."

The NASA Curiosity rover has been instrumental in disclosing the hidden secrets of Mars ever since it touched down the Martian surface in 2012. The rover landed near the Gale Crater, which is supposedly the center of the Red Planet, where it started analyzing soil samples and revealed that Mars may have supported the existence of microbial life forms in the past, The Space Reporter revealed.

Since then, the rover has traveled miles through the Murray formation to Mount Sharp of Mars. Earlier images sent by Curiosity showed the existence of orange-colored rocks at the Murray formation, from where the rover started its uphill trek of Mount Sharp. Scientists speculate that Curiosity will keep on enriching humans regarding the various structures, formations and mineral composition of the Martian surface in the future.