Mars news, features and articles

With SpaceX, NASA and China planning manned missions to the Martian surface and scientists working to revolutionize access to the Red Planet, it's now only a matter of time before humans step foot on Mars. Follow our species' progress to a new world with Live Science's specialist Mars coverage. Our expert writers and editors publish lists, fact pages, explainers and coverage of the biggest Martian research, from evidence of recent water on the Red Planet to how the "building blocks of life" were discovered on Mars to the first clear images of "sun rays" from Mars' surface, in the latest Mars news, features articles
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Does Mars have a moon?
By Marilyn Perkins published
Mars is smaller than Earth, but does it have any moons?

Why does Mars look purple, yellow and orange in ESA's stunning new satellite image?
By Perri Thaler published
Surprising colors and stunning features are captured in a new image of Mars' surface.

Mars rover captures first close-up photos of giant 'spiderwebs' on the Red Planet
By Harry Baker published
NASA's Curiosity rover has snapped its first images of web-like "boxwork" features on the surface of Mars. The zig-zagging rocks could provide clues about the Red Planet's watery past and whether it once harbored extraterrestrial life.

Is Mars really red? A physicist explains the truth.
By David Joffe published
Mars isn't a bright, fire-engine red, but the iron oxide in its rocks makes it appear redder than other planets, especially from afar.

NASA spots Martian volcano twice the height of Mount Everest bursting through the morning clouds: Space photo of the week
By Shreejaya Karantha published
A new panorama from NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter shows Arsia Mons, one of the largest volcanoes on Mars, rising above a thick blanket of clouds before dawn.

Long, dark 'streaks' spotted on Mars aren't what scientists thought
By Ben Turner published
A set of dark streaks that regularly wind across the Martian surface are more likely to be formed by dust and wind than by water, a new artificial intelligence analysis has revealed.

Solar 'cannonballs' may have stripped Mars of its water, study reveals
By Sharmila Kuthunur published
After nearly a decade in orbit, NASA's MAVEN spacecraft has, for the first time, directly observed the process that scientists had long suspected was responsible for stripping Mars of its atmosphere.
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