Video: Blue Martian “Pools” Not What They Seem

Fascinating photographs of what many believed to be pools of water on Mars are not what they appear to be, says scientists.  Recently, the European Space Agency showed photos of what looked like giant blue areas of water.  The agency says that is not the case.

GeoBeats News reports:

The European Space Agency has recently released a photo of Mars showing deep blue patches within two craters, explaining that they’re a photographic optical illusion of dark volcanic particles blown around by the planet’s strong dust storms. The European Space Agency has recently released an image of Mars showing vivid patches of blue smudging the insides of a couple of craters.
Though it appears that they could be evidence of water or ice, officials explain that the coloration is actually a photographic optical illusion showing sediment build up from dust storms.
Winds on the planet can exceed 60 miles an hour in cycles that can continue for weeks which results in the erosion of its impact craters.
During this time, extremely dark and rich volcanic dust also gets blown around and trapped by the craters’ rims.
A previously released photo taken during the earlier stages of a wind storm provides a closer view of the resulting swirl of particles which are, in reality, closer to black in color.