Mars without its makeup can look a little blue. Here's why.

NASA’s Curiosity rover captured a Mars landscape on Aug. 11 at about 8:30 a.m. local time that looks strikingly blue and gray rather than typically red. The image was taken with Curiosity’s Mastcam and, notably, the mission team did not apply its usual color adjustments before releasing the photo. NASA said keeping the dim morning lighting was an “artistic choice.” The article explains that the true appearance of Mars depends on factors such as weaker sunlight at Mars’ distance, dust suspended in the atmosphere, ground minerals, and even camera sensors and software. Scientists use “white balancing” to remove dust haze so geological colors can be compared across conditions.