If microbe fossils are on Mars, a rock quarry in Algeria might lead us to them

a pinkish-brown rock resembling a rose

Scientists searching for the fossilized remains of ancient microbes on Mars now have a better idea of what signs they should be looking for, thanks to a new study of Earthly microbial fossils embedded in the mineral gypsum that was produced when the Mediterranean Ocean dried up over 5 million years ago. Mars was once … Read more

Rover Finds the Shoreline of an Ancient Beach on Mars

Map of Utopia Planitia showing the landing site of the Zhurong rover and four proposed ancient shorelines. The landing site is about 280 kilometers north of and some 500 meters lower in elevation than the northern hypothesized shorelines. In its traverse, Zhurong traveled south from its landing site, toward the ancient shorelines. Courtesy:  Hai Liu, Guangzhou University, China

Data from the Chinese rover Zhurong is adding to the pile of evidence for oceans on ancient Mars. For a year, this little craft traveled over nearly two kilometers of the Martian surface and made radar scans of buried natural structures that look like ocean shorelines. Zhurong’s ground-penetrating radar (GPR) looked under the surface to … Read more

Should Astronauts Be Worried About Mars Dust?

Every Martian year (which last 686.98 Earth days), the Red Planet experiences regional dust storms that coincide with summer in the southern hemisphere. Every three Martian years (five and a half Earth years), these storms grow so large that they encompass the entire planet and are visible from Earth. These storms are a serious hazard … Read more

The Winter Triangle meets the ‘Mars Triangle’ in the night sky this month

an illustration of the night sky showing a triangle formed from the two stars castor and pollux and mars

We’re now just past the midpoint of astronomical winter — that moment marking the midway point between December’s winter solstice and March’s vernal equinox. That moment took place at 4:11 p.m. Eastern Time on Feb. 3. And as darkness falls this week, we have what many refer to as the “Winter Triangle” dominating the southeast … Read more

A Recent Impact on Mars Shook the Planet to Its Mantle

New research suggests an impact recently rattled Mars deeper than thought. HiRISE images a recent impact crater in the Cerberus Fossae region, seen on March 4, 2021. Credit: NASA/MRO/HiRISE Something really rang the Red Planet’s bell. Research involving two NASA missions—the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the late InSight lander—has shed light on meteorite impacts and … Read more

KA-BOOM! Mars shakes when meteors hit its surface

A rock from space slammed into Mars in February 2021, causing seismic waves that reached NASA’s InSight spacecraft, located 1,000 miles (1,600 km) away. The impact left a 70-foot (21-meter) diameter crater and dented an area nearly a mile wide (1,600 meters). ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), using its Color and Stereo Surface Imaging … Read more

Are there liquid water brines on Mars? New study casts doubt

View larger. | An example of weird, dark streaks called recurring slope lineae on the slopes of Mars’ Horowitz crater. Do liquid water brines form these streaks? A new study suggested brines on Mars are less likely to occur than scientists thought. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ University of Arizona. 2025 EarthSky lunar calendar is available … Read more

NASA delays Artemis missions again. What could this mean for the moon, Mars and space leadership?

NASA’s first two crewed Artemis moon missions have been pushed back to 2026 and 2027, respectively, and the move could have big ramifications for the agency’s Artemis program and competition with China for leadership in space. Artemis 2, which will send a crew of three Americans and a Canadian astronaut around the moon, was due … Read more