Mars is a wonderful, scary, mysterious place. Fortunately, scientists are exploring every day, finding answers to some of the deepest mysteries about the planet. But there is still much to understand. Here are some of the strange photos from the planet - many of which are scary because they are still not completely explained!

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1) Black Spidery Features In Spring
Taken on January 27th, 2010 by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, this photo shows strange spidery-looking black features on the surface of Mars. Scientists don't know for sure what these features are, but they have noticed that they seem to come and go quickly - sometimes arriving and vanishing overnight. The leading theory from scientists at the US Geological Survey is that these strange features are geysers of carbon dioxide that explode above the surface during the spring time when the underground frozen CO2 warms up.


2) Liquid Water Flowing On Mars Surface
Mars' Newton crater shows flowing liquid on the surface - a rare phenomenon on the Surface of this planet with limited atmospheric pressure. You can read more about it here.

3) Avalanche!
This lucky photo was taken in 2008, and shows the first ever avalanche photographed on the surface of another planet. The orbiting spacecraft that took this photo wasn't looking for avalanches, it's just serendipitous, dumb luck. (Well, maybe not dumb... it's a spacecraft orbiting Mars...)

4) Water Ice In Crater At Martian North Pole
Taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera by the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft, this photo shows water ice sitting in the middle of a crater near the Martian north pole.


5) South Pole Of Mars
The Mars Express orbiter photographed the south pole of mars in 2013. This photo was taken with infrared, green, and blue light filters, resulting in the milk-like textures and colorings. But it's still unclear why these patterns appear.


6) Blue Sky At Gale Crater
NASA's Curiosity rover captured this clear photo of the Martian sky. What's strange about this photo? It's blue!


7) Dry Ice Evaporating During Martian Summer
Near the end of the Martian summer, the warmer weather causes a fraction of the massive carbon-dioxide ice cap to evaporate. But this process is still not completely understood.


8) Mars Tornadoes (Dust Devils)
Dust devils up to 20 kilometers high tower above the Martian surface in late springtime.
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9) Dust Devil Tracks On The Surface
Strange patterns on the surface of Mars. Are these caused by the dust devils?

10) Fresh Impact Crater
A NASA spacecraft captured this image of a 100-foot diameter impact crater in 2013. There are about 200 large new craters on Mars per year, and this is one of the more spectacular one. The impact ejecta is a brilliant blue-grey color!


11) Valles Marineris Canyon
This perspective image shows the central features of the 4000-kilometer long Vallas Marineris canyon in 2004.


12) Dry Ice Cracking Through The Surface
So strange! The white cracking features look like veins.


13) "The Herd" On Mars
This photo is from the late Mars Global Surveyor, and it shows what looks like a weird group of critters walking across the Martian surface. In fact, it is likely a strange visual of melting carbon dioxide ice, however scientists are still hoping to take a closer look!


14) More Dust Devil Trails/Scars
Incredible coloring in this photo - the dust devils have removed the top part of the surface soil.


15) Storm Clouds
The white, wispy clouds look just like high-altitude cirrus clouds here on Earth.
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