# Vegetation on Mars?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetation-on-mars/202790>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 20, 2003, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetation-on-mars/202790 "2003-09-20T11:10:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Eli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@Eli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eli)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetation-on-mars/202790/1 "2003-09-20T11:10:16Z")

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I knew there were some claims that vegetation exists on Mars on the basis of real authentic pictures(no sarcasm) like [this](http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/msss/camera/images/dune_defrost_6_2001/e05-762.gif) and [this](http://www.msss.com/moc_gallery/m07_m12/mediummaps/M08/M0804688.jpg), but I was always sure that the people who say this are the same wackos who claim that Galileo will cause a huge nuclear chain reaction on Jupiter when it crashes into it in couple days.

So it’s just another crazy conspiracy theory, and everything is nice and pretty until… look what I find on [space.com](http://www.space.com/astronotes/astronotes.html) :

> [@](#):
>
> **Arthur C. Clarke: Mars Has the Munchies**
> 
> Mars has a case of the munchies. That is, the red planet is spotted with vegetation with some sort of life feasting on the foliage. So says Arthur Clarke, the noted sci-fi writer and space visionary, making the claim during a recent conference on the space elevator.
> 
> [snip]
> 
> “Mars is the obvious place,” Clarke said. “I’m now quite convinced that Mars is infested with life. Mars orbiter photographs show huge areas of vegetation. I don’t think there’s any doubt anymore on that. And where there’s vegetation, they’ll be something nibbling on it,” he said.
> 
> …

Clarke? Is this serious? Can those “stuff” in the pics really be some trees or fungus or whatnot?

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**Author:** ![Reepicheep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@Reepicheep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reepicheep)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetation-on-mars/202790/2 "2003-09-20T12:37:38Z")

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NASA says its[sand dunes.](http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/sanddunes/e05-762.html)

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**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetation-on-mars/202790/3 "2003-09-20T12:53:20Z")

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My question: back in the 1950’s , sevearl prominent astronomers were convinced that Mars had vegetation-I remember seein photograps of mars 9made by the 200’ Mt. Palomar reflector), showing blue-grren areas on the planet. Why were these pictures showing a blue-green color? Was it the film used back then?