mars | EarthSky

Rocky terrain under a yellowish and bluish sky. Part of a mechanical rover is on the right, in the foreground.

Ancient lake on Mars? Rover finds strong new evidence

NASA's Curiosity rover has found yet more evidence for an ancient lake on Mars. Metallic minerals in preserved rock ripples provide the clues.

Complicated 6-wheeled robot in reddish rocky landscape, with dusty sky above and distant hills.

New organics on Mars raise questions about life

NASA's Curiosity rover has identified the most diverse collection of organics on Mars ever found. They include some organics never seen before.

An orange red ball, almost featureless except for white polar caps.

Summer solstice in Mars’ southern hemisphere is April 25

The summer solstice in Mars' southern hemisphere happens on April 25, 2026. Summertime there typically kicks off dust season on the red planet.

Large slabs of brownish, dust-covered rocks, with fine ripple textures on them.

Huge ancient sandstorm on Mars revealed in rippled sediments

Dust storms are common on Mars. But ripples in blocks of bedrock have revealed evidence of a more intense sandstorm on Mars about 3.5 billion years ago.

Dog-like robot with a red body and 4 legs on gravel indoors. It has a bright headlight.

Walking robots on Mars could speed up life search

Researchers in Europe are testing a prototype for walking robots on Mars or the moon. Robots like this would be faster and more autonomous than current rovers.

View of hilly, barren gravel-covered terrain with mountains in the distance.

Rubies on Mars? Rover finds fluorescent gems for 1st time

Are there rubies on Mars? NASA's Perseverance rover has found tiny fluorescent gems in pebbles that appear to be rubies or sapphires.

Gray, rolling landscape under a black sky, with small buildings, rockets, and astronauts.

Moon base and Mars! NASA makes exciting announcements

Moon base and Mars mission! NASA administrator Jared Isaacman announced them as part of a series of new NASA initiatives on March 24, 2026.

Planet with a big reddish area and dark swath in the middle and a white ice cap at the top.

Mars sometimes is bright and sometimes is faint

Mars emerged in the April 2026 morning sky and is visible in the morning through year's end. Its next opposition - when it's brightest - is February 2027.

Moving image of a masked sun with a large amount of material blasting outward.

What happened when a solar superstorm hit Mars?

What happened when a solar superstorm hit Mars? In May 2024, the sun released a powerful X flare that caused spacecraft to glitch ... and more.

Wrinkly, cylindrical creature with no eyes and 6 stubby legs with claws against a spacey background.

Water bears on Mars: Tardiguardians of the Galaxy?

Scientists at Penn State said tiny water bears on Mars could help future astronauts survive there. They nicknamed them Tardiguardians of the Galaxy.

Panorama of brown, sandy terrain with long, crisscrossing ridges of rock and a layered mesa in the distance.

Giant ‘spiderwebs’ on Mars reveal surprising water clues

NASA's Curiosity rover has been investigating 'spiderwebs' on Mars. Groundwater formed these grid-like formations of ridges billions of years ago.

Orbital view of small volcano with a crater in the top. A line of elongated pits is next to it.

The most recent volcanoes on Mars were surprisingly active

Scientists studied orbital data of minerals from recent volcanoes on Mars and found they were more complex than they expected, with ongoing eruptions.

Flat rock with many small bumps on it. A deep drill hole is in the middle, with gray powder spilled out around it.

NASA says organics on Mars are hard to explain without life

NASA's Curiosity rover found complex organics on Mars, possibly remains of fatty acids. A new NASA study suggests they are difficult to explain without life.

A light-colored tan and whitish planet with patches of small clouds.

Ice-cold Earth? Possible new exoplanet might be chillier than Mars

Astronomers have discovered a possible ice-cold Earth exoplanet 146 light-years away. It might be colder than Mars, but there's a chance it's more Earth-like.

Huge canyon system on a brownish-red planet viewed from space, with a bright sun in the distance.

New evidence for ancient Mars ocean found in giant canyon

Evidence for an ancient Mars ocean keeps growing. Deltas in the Valles Marineris canyon along the former shoreline show that the ocean covered half the planet.

Earth and Mars orbits around the sun with text. Mars orbit larger and more elliptical

Earth’s ice ages shaped by tiny tugs from Mars

Computer simulations show the presence of Mars affects the cycles that cause Earth's ice ages. Without Mars, those cycles vanish.

Blue lake in brownish, rocky terrain, with an island in the middle.

New research says icy lakes on Mars lasted for decades

The ancient lake in Gale crater - and other icy lakes on Mars - could have been liquid below the surface for decades thanks to seasonal surface ice.

A series of many red dots, making a line that arcs back for part of its length, in a starry sky.

Why no retrograde motion for Mars in 2026?

Mars won't have any retrograde - or westward - motion in 2026. What is retrograde motion? An explanation, and bizarre examples on other worlds, here.

2 irregular rocky objects, 1 twice the apparent size of the other, next to each other on black background with stars.

Did a lost moon of Mars create tides in an ancient lake?

Thin, repeating sedimentary layers examined by the Curiosity rover suggest that a big, lost moon of Mars created tides in the ancient lake of Gale crater.

Long wall of thick dust moving over reddish-brown landscape as seen from above.

Lightning on Mars? Electric sparks in dust devils confirmed

NASA's Perseverance rover has detected lightning on Mars 55 times. It heard the small electrical discharges with its microphone in dust storms and dust devils.

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Ancient lake on Mars? Rover finds strong new evidence

New organics on Mars raise questions about life

Summer solstice in Mars’ southern hemisphere is April 25

Huge ancient sandstorm on Mars revealed in rippled sediments

Walking robots on Mars could speed up life search

Rubies on Mars? Rover finds fluorescent gems for 1st time

Moon base and Mars! NASA makes exciting announcements

Mars sometimes is bright and sometimes is faint

What happened when a solar superstorm hit Mars?

Water bears on Mars: Tardiguardians of the Galaxy?

Giant ‘spiderwebs’ on Mars reveal surprising water clues

The most recent volcanoes on Mars were surprisingly active

NASA says organics on Mars are hard to explain without life

Ice-cold Earth? Possible new exoplanet might be chillier than Mars

New evidence for ancient Mars ocean found in giant canyon

Earth’s ice ages shaped by tiny tugs from Mars

New research says icy lakes on Mars lasted for decades

Why no retrograde motion for Mars in 2026?

Did a lost moon of Mars create tides in an ancient lake?

Lightning on Mars? Electric sparks in dust devils confirmed