Part of Mars Where the Color Blue

The planet Mars is known as the red planet. But, not the entire surface of Mars is red when imaged. Reconaissance shots Mars Orbiter NASA indicates that there are parts of the blue planet, like Earth.


Shots, published in New Scientist, it is sand dunes in Rabe Crater, an area 100 kilometers in diameter in the highlands of the southern hemisphere of Mars. Mound really looked blue, like a sea of earth visible from the air.

Sand dunes that cover much territory Rabe Crater. Dunes formed from sand and basalt at the bottom of the crater formed by the Martian wind. Closer image shows similar structure fingerprint mountains, valleys, and the ripples.

The question that arises is, why is the sand dunes appear darker than other areas of the crater? One possibility is the sand at the bottom of the crater rather than a local sand, but sand from other areas who are trapped by the topographical conditions of the area. There was no explanation why the area is blue.