Mars Is Getting More Mysterious, "Perseverance" Shows Scary Images Of The Red Planet

A gloomy image of a rocky landscape on the planet Mars. (photo: NASA)

JAKARTA— Mars is a truly beautiful planet, but this latest NASA Perseverance's photos remind us that it can also look a bit spooky. Compared to life on Earth, Mars is very different. This planet is lifeless, very cold, and its environment is mainly composed of rock and dust.

Some may see it as a gloomy planet and call it a day, but many photos from NASA rover prove otherwise.

Currently, many robots are exploring Mars to help scientists and astronomers better understand the planet. Whether it's Curiosity, Perseverance, or Ingenuity, these robots are essential to Mars exploration. They also happen to be great photographers.

These robots regularly take and share pictures from their adventures on Mars, allowing everyone on Earth to get up close and personal with the neighboring planet. Many of these photos are simply stunning. From expansive landscape images to cute rocks, there's a lot of beauty to be found there.

Like other alien planets, Mars can also be a bit scary. After a two-week hiatus thanks to the conjunction of the sun, Perseverance has recently returned online and shared a new batch of photos. NASA obtained the photo above on October 22, 2021, via the Perseverance's Right Navigation Camera.

The picture really speaks for itself. Perseverance is seen posing to the right, with the rest of the scene revealing a dark Martian landscape. There are rocks everywhere you look, brown soil beneath, and an eerie gray sky in the background. We might need a horror movie to get a spooky atmosphere on Earth, but with a scene like this on Mars, that's not a must.

Want to maintain a spooky atmosphere? The good news is that this isn't the only haunting photo of Mars that NASA has captured. Back in September, Perseverance took the above shot of a haunting Martian sunrise. The sun emitted a mysterious green glow across the sky, while the rocks below seemed pitch black in its light.

The Curiosity explorer also shared a spooky image earlier this month. That one offers an incredible view of two of the planet's mountains against a completely black sky backdrop.

This is why Mars has proven to be so interesting. In one picture, the planet looks like a quiet and peaceful destination that would be nice to visit. Elsewhere, it looks like something ripped straight out of a horror movie. It's unlikely any of us will ever be able to see these things with our own eyes, but considering how terrifying Mars is, maybe that's a good thing.