7 jaw-dropping images of Red Planet captured by NASA 

Mars is called the Red Planet because its surface is covered in iron-rich minerals that oxidize, or rust, giving it a reddish color.

This composite image, from NASA Galileo and Mars Global Survey orbiters, of Earth and Mars was created to allow viewers to gain a better understanding of the relative sizes of the two planets.

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured a cameo appearance of the tiny moon Phobos on its trek around the Red Planet. 

Even today, it is frequently called the "Red Planet" because iron minerals in the Martian dirt oxidize, or rust, causing the surface to look red.

Mars was named by the Romans for their god of war because its reddish color was reminiscent of blood. The Egyptians called it "Her Desher," meaning "the red one." 

Twelve orbits a day provide NASA Mars Global Surveyor MOC wide angle cameras a global napshot of weather patterns across the planet. 

This telescopic view from orbit around Mars catches a Martian dust devil in action in the planet southern hemisphere. 

Credit:NASA