NASA reveals truth behind 'stunning' Mars images showing night sky 250 million miles from Earth
Space travel has produced some mind-boggling photos of our galaxy - there's no doubt about that.
This photo showing the sheer distance between the Earth and Moon and an eerie snap taken by the 'most isolated' man in the universe serve as the perfect examples.
And now, photos supposedly from Mars have been doing the rounds. However, as always with the internet, you can't believe everything you see...
Viral Instagram photos show the red planet's rocky surface in the foreground and a dazzlingly bright night sky in the background, allegedly 'untouched by Earthly light pollution'.
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People were left floored, as one person pondered: "Is that what all humans saw before light pollution…? No wonder they lived so differently and said 'the heavens above' all the time..."
A second agreed: "Everyone on Earth would be a lot more humble if we could see that above us every night," while a third wrote: "Holy moly! New hobby discovered: Looking at the night sky on Mars!"
There's no denying the images are breathtaking, but they're likely made up of two composite photos spliced together.
In fact, NASA themselves made a YouTube video debunking these viral posts.
Abigail Fraeman, deputy project scientist for NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover, took a similar image and explained: "In the foreground of this altered image, you see Curiosity. In the background, a stunning starfield."
She explained that the original image from Curiosity was taken during the daytime, when the rover snapped a selfie.
And the original starfield comes from 'a space observatory on Earth' - not from Mars.
"If you had a space observatory on Mars, you could get an image like that," Fraeman explained.
"But Curiosity's cameras do something different. They're optimized to showcase Mars's unique landscapes and intriguing features."
She added: "If you were lying on Mars on a clear night, the sky would likely remind you of our sky on Earth, especially in the darkest places like remote deserts or mountaintops."
What does Mars' night sky really look like?
The BBC's Sky at Night Magazine reports that, should we ever get to stargaze on Mars, we'd see two moons - Phobos and Deimos - instead of just one.
We wouldn't see as many satellites either, making it easier to spot stars.
However, the BBC reports that Mars' twilight lasts longer 'because of all the extra light-scattering dust in the air'.
NASA actually shared a video of what the Martian twilight looks like. The Curiosity rover took a 16 minute timelapse of the Martian twilight this January, which you can watch below:
That dust could be a real hinderance, as it can also 'reduce the brightness and visibility of the stars at low altitude, just as low-lying fog does here'.
So, while there could be the chance to spot a perfect night sky on Mars, it really does depend on your luck - and dust.
For now, heading to a national park away from light pollution - or a remote desert or mountain top - is your best chance for a starry night.
Ellie Kemp