Why is Mars red, anyway? It's all that iron oxide, for starters.

But how it all oxidized, starting 4.5 billion years ago, remains up for debate.

Expect to see a lot of red-orange landscapes over the next few weeks, as the Curiosity rover beams back its first photos of the rugged Martian scenery. But why is Mars red, anyway?

The simple explanation for the Red Planet's color is that its regolith, or surface material, contains lots of iron oxide — the same compound that gives blood and rust their hue. But why does Mars have so much iron, why is that iron "oxidized," and why does iron oxide look red?

It all started 4.5 billion years ago. When the solar system formed, many of the planets landed a dose of iron. Forged in the heart of long-dead stars, the heavy element swirled around in the cloud of gas and dust that gravitationally collapsed to form the sun and planets.

Whereas the bulk of Earth's iron sank to its core when the planet was young and molten, NASA scientists think Mars' smaller size (and weaker gravity) allowed it to remain less differentiated. It does have an iron core, but abundant iron exists in its upper layers, also.

Plain-old iron looks shiny black.         

The element only takes on a reddish tinge when it has been exposed to oxygen, and enough oxygen at that for it to become iron(III) oxide, an atomic fivesome composed of two iron atoms and three oxygen atoms. So why did so much of the iron on Mars' surface oxidize, or gang up with oxygen?

When the images start coming in, Lucas will tel us that they are photoshopped.

this is the desert in Arizona at sundown...2.5 billion for some red pictres?

Tour the Martian Mojave in 3-D

Two dimensions just aren't enough to get a sense of the Earthlike terrain that surrounds NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars — fortunately, weather researcher and former astronomer James Canvin adds some depth to the view in this 3-D version of a partial panorama from Curiosity's navigation cameras.

Scientists say the first 360-degree color panorama photo sent from Mars by NASA's Curiosity rover reveals an unusual amount of variation, including dark dunes, red soil and tan rocks. And they can hardly wait to sample the material behind all those colors.

The picture unveiled today at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., isn't the best imagery that the rover's Mastcam is capable of. It was put together from 130 images, each measuring a mere 144 by 144 pixels. The high-resolution version goes eight times wider, but that also means it's a much bigger load of data. Curiosity just hasn't had the bandwidth to send it yet.

Abidha, you had a few banks beers?  I put on my 3 d glasses but nothing happen.

The first image taken by the navigation cameras on NASA's Curiosity rover shows the shadow of the rover's now-upright mast in the center, and the arm's shadow at left. The arm itself can be seen in the foreground.