Why isn the Martian sky blue?
From: Natica Robinson 8th Grade Charleston Middle School Charleston, IL ANSWER: The reason the Martian sky is not blue is because its atmosphere is different than that of earth which causes the refraction of light to be different than here on earth, resulting in a different visible color. Here are two excerpts from the Imager for Mars Pathfinder Web Site: Mars’s atmosphere is primarily carbon dioxide, much thinner than our own atmosphere, and extremely dusty. With the atmosphere filters scientists hope to determine how much dust is in the air and what it consists of, as well as the amount of water vapor. The first color IMP image of an overcast sky above Ares Vallis. Taken on Sol 16, approximately one hour and forty minutes before sunrise. The image was originally released in false color (below). We think of the Martian sky as being red, but early in the morning water ice clouds are lit by the sun without much interference from the dusty sky, leaving us with a grayish blue tinted sky.
