Looks like Perseverance rover snapped a rainbow on Mars. The truth!

New York : Ever since NASA's Perseverance rover has landed on Mars, it has been capturing beautiful sights on the planet. In a latest, it is believed to have clicked the Martian rainbow. While it seems like it was just days ago when the rover had landed on the planet, it is set to celebrate its first birthday.

The Perseverance Rover had landed on the planet on February 18, 2021. Since then it has been clicking pictures every day and sending them to Earth. Perseverance has shared photos of Mars' unique rock formations, large mountains, eerie sunrises, and a whole lot more.

The recent rainbow picture was captured with Perseverance's Rear Right Hazard Avoidance Camera and acquired by NASA on January 9 (Sol 316) at 14:54. The picture shows planet's yellow sky, endless sand, and large dunes in the distance. It also shows a rainbow similar to what we see on Earth.

Unfortunately, what you see above isn't a rainbow. Instead, it's just a simple lens flare from Perseverance's camera. This happens every now and then when Perseverance is photographing the Red Planet. It sets up its shot, the Sun reflects its light just right, and a flare like the one above appears.

Factual existence of a rainbow on Mars

It is physically impossible for rainbows to appear on Mars. Rainbows are the result of light reflecting off water droplets on the ground. Thanks to the severe lack of water on Mars, the chemistry just isn't there for a rainbow to work.