Mars
Latest about Mars
![Mars and its twin moons Phobos and Deimos.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/b6svxsC7wGwrpd2AejUt95-320-80.jpg)
Lost photos suggest Mars' mysterious moon Phobos may be a trapped comet in disguise
By Abha Jain published
Previously unpublished photos of Mars' moon Phobos hint that the mysterious satellite may actually be a trapped comet — or perhaps just a piece of one, along with its twin moon Deimos.
![Gale Crater on Mars](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mP9Kod5xqYvnVda4N6neMX-320-80.jpg)
Mars may have been more Earth-like than we thought, discovery of oxygen-rich rocks reveals
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
Newfound rocks on Mars suggest the planet may have once sported an oxygen-rich atmosphere, making it more Earth-like and hospitable to life than previously thought.
![An artist's illustration of long ribbon-like auroras rippling across the Martian sky](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/g5iTMJMmAzcJhhYtpVr5V9-320-80.jpg)
Sun's chaotic peak triggers record-breaking 'global auroras' on Mars
By Harry Baker published
Mars has had frequent planet-wide auroras in recent months, including an unprecedented trio of events in February. Experts say the sudden increase is the result of the ongoing solar maximum.
![Mars' Inca City formation (left) is overrun with mounds of black 'spiders' (right), a regular springtime phenomenon on the Red Planet](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vK7VvWQ9ZUxkkjohyc7Wjb-320-80.jpg)
Hundreds of black 'spiders' spotted in mysterious 'Inca City' on Mars in new satellite photos
By Stephanie Pappas published
Every spring, creepy black 'spiders' sprout up on Mars as buried carbon dioxide ice releases dusty geysers of gas. New ESA images show the phenomenon has begun in the strange Inca City formation.
![Artist's conception of the vehicles that would participate in a Mars sample return campaign by NASA and the European Space Agency.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9NYSDGiYoYEd49Wsn5ZoPn-320-80.jpg)
NASA Mars samples, which could contain evidence of life, will not return to Earth as initially planned
By Mike Wall published
NASA's plan to retrieve as many as 30 geological samples from Mars is getting a major rewrite, agency officials said on Monday. The initial plan, which would not return the samples to Earth until 2040, was deemed "too expensive" and "unacceptably too long."
![A picture of the secondary crater field around the main Corinto crater.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yFDeyM9Cw59bpjjth4xGQE-320-80.jpg)
Single enormous object left 2 billion craters on Mars, scientists discover
By Sascha Pare published
An object that slammed into Mars roughly 2.3 million years ago created 2 billion smaller craters around the main Corinto impact crater, near the Red Planet's equator.
![Annotated image of Mars with markings and text showing the equator, the newly-discovered volcano, volcanoes in the Tharsis region, as well as the Noctis Labyrinthus and Valles Marineris regions](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ra6dRtgPEr8NUCxKhEq7W5-320-80.jpg)
Gargantuan volcano on Mars found hidden 'in plain sight,' and it could hold potential signs of life
By Emily Cooke published
A newly discovered volcano near Mars' "Labyrinth of Night" could be a "prime" spot to search for life on the Red Planet, scientists say.
![NASA's Curiosity Mars rover appears as a dark speck in this image captured from directly overhead by the agency's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, or MRO.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/V8AK6XmsRjZXKGnBoBeKq-320-80.jpg)
Space photo of the week: Can you spot the hidden robot on the slopes of Mars?
By Jamie Carter published
NASA's Mars Curiosity rover hides in plain sight in this aerial photo of the treacherous Martian landscape.
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