Stop everything: Mars is actually blue (in some places)

New images from Nasa's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera, orbiting Mars, have revealed some of Mars' most colourful regions.

The Nili Fossae region, for example, is shockingly gorgeous - and it's blue, rather than the rusty red we associate with Mars.

You can see the full size image here.

It's situated on the northwest rim of the Isidis impact basin, and is a site of diverse and exposed bedrock, with the exception of a few sand dunes.

The reason we don't usually see sites like this is because Mars' colours are usually homogenised by the red dust that pervades the surface.

The below image shows the side of an elongated pit depression in the eastern Noctis Labyrinthus region.

Nasa scientists revealed a few months ago that the blue/grey layered deposits are consistent with the mineral jarosite.

This could indicate acidic aqueous conditions within a volcanic system. And it sure is pretty.

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