NASA posts beautiful martian image showing 'blue' region of the red planet 

When we say Mars, the first thing that crosses our minds is a red wasteland. Mars is almost always associated with the colour red. It's quite natural as the red colour of the planet is perceptible in the night sky even with naked eyes. If someone says Mars is blue, we are sure to dismiss the opinion almost instantly.

But now NASA, the space agency which has multiple rovers on the red planet and an orbitter around it has released some images in which clear blue streaks are visible on the planet's surface. The image has been captured by Mars Reconnaissance Orbitter (MRO) so it has captured an area on the martian surface that spans hundreds of metres. Each pixel in this image is equal to 25 feet on martian surface.

The blue streaks on the martian surface are a beautiful sight. The martian region visible in these images is called Gamboa Crater. It is located in the northern hemisphere of the planet.

So why is the red planet so blue?

The answer lies in the way this image was processed. This is what is called a 'false colour'. The blue region is actually as red as the planet is but has been coloured blue due to slight variations in the frequency of the reflected light. The region is NOT actually blue.

So is it just a way to make an image more beautiful and nothing else? No.

The regions streaked in blue colour indicate presence of geologic structures. When an analyst studies this image it will be helpful for him or her to quickly know where are these geologic structures located. This may help us to understand martian geology in greater detail.

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