The picture triggered a plethora of reactions online with netizens wondering how a rainbow could have formed in Mars’ atmosphere, leading to a clarification tweet by the American space agency.

While rainbows are common on Earth, that may not be the case in outer space. However, when NASA shared a picture of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter on Mars, many were intrigued by the rainbow they spotted in the background.
The picture triggered a plethora of reactions online with netizens wondering how a rainbow could have formed in Mars’ atmosphere, leading to a clarification tweet by the American space agency.
Sharing the picture, the official Twitter handle of @NASAPersevere explained, “Many have asked: Is that a rainbow on Mars? No. Rainbows aren’t possible here. Rainbows are created by light reflected off of round water droplets, but there isn’t enough water here to condense, and its too cold for liquid water in the atmosphere. This arc is a lens flare.”
Read the full post here:
Many have asked: Is that a rainbow on Mars? No. Rainbows aren’t possible here. Rainbows are created by light reflected off of round water droplets, but there isn’t enough water here to condense, and its too cold for liquid water in the atmosphere. This arc is a lens flare. pic.twitter.com/mIoSSuilJW
NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) April 6, 2021
However, when some users were unable to understand how the rainbow occurred due to the lens, the rover offered further explanation and tweeted, “This is a lens flare. I have sunshades on my front Hazcams, which were considered mission-critical (I need them for driving forward and I’m usually driving forward). Sunshades werent considered essential on my back Hazcams, so you can see scattered light artefacts in their images.”
Since being shared online, the picture has garnered over 26,000 likes with netizens trying to understand the rainbow in the picture.
Besides that. Mars is flat.
PetebitcoinSV (@PeteBitcoin) April 6, 2021
In Earth pic.twitter.com/T3f8zBjt7R
Tevfik Demir (@Teco_w) April 6, 2021
Thanks but we want to dream that it is
Ceeba (@coffeebooks2016) April 6, 2021
It may not be a rainbow but it’s still pretty, thank you Perseverance
Louise Litzenberg (@BombayLace) April 6, 2021
Thanks for the clarification… Looking forward to 8th April
Odero Nyang KE (@Nyang__KE) April 6, 2021
It still makes for a wicked pic.
Dr. Vickie Carey (@CareyVickie) April 6, 2021
pic.twitter.com/fgYXRxJP0t
Anne Caprara (@anacaprana) April 6, 2021