Although Earth and Mars are very different in their appearances, this new image taken from the International Space Station (ISS) shows our planet in a Mars-like color tint. We know Mars is red due to its dry and dusty atmosphere, while the Earth appears blue and green due to oceans and forests.

European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet snapped an image of our planet that shows resemblance to the neighboring planet Mars. “No cloud in sight and the red and ochre colors stretching to the horizon,” Pesquet wrote. “This is how I imagine the Perseverance rover would have seen Mars on its approach to landing.”  

Mars doppelganger

ESA shared the image after the astronaut posted it on a social media platform. The caption of the image read: “I had to do a double-take when I saw this view: not Mars but our own amazing planet!”

The wide desert stretches of Earth appear as Mars doppelgangers when seen from a certain angle. However, hints of clouds and blue areas on the curvature give away that it’s not Mars but our Earth.

Pesquet reached the ISS aboard the SpaceX Crew-2 mission that was launched in April. He wrote: “Mars robotic exploration and human exploration go hand in hand: exploring farther and extending human presence.”

Planetary photography

Recently, the National Science Foundation’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab) released an image of Jupiter showing it in different colors. They used different wavelengths to snap the image. It will allow astronomers to understand the complexities of the gas giant that are not visible in one wavelength.

In visible light, the details on the surface of Jupiter’s atmosphere can be seen, but the thick clouds aren’t visible. When seen in infrared, a golden hint can be seen at thinner regions, allowing thermal energy from below the atmosphere to come up.

The image also shows the Great Red Spot that appears vivid in ultraviolet and visible light, but in infrared, only its outlines are visible. However, the smaller storm called the Oval BA disappears completely. The ultraviolet image of the gas giant will help track the distribution of particles in its atmosphere.