See if you can tell Earth and Mars apart in these mind-blowing photos by Jessica Orwig on Oct 16, 2015, 10:41 AM Advertisement
 Because of how they appear from afar, we call Mars the Red Planet and Earth the Blue Planet. But these two worlds don't look so different when you zoom in, which is exactly what scientific satellites do to give researchers information on how different regions of each planet change over time. We've collected some of these satellites' spectacular images of Mars and Earth and juxtaposed them to test your skills. Can you tell which is the planet you call home and which is the desolate, lifeless wasteland more than 141 million miles away? LEARN MORE: Epically awesome photos of Mars SEE ALSO: The 12 most compelling scientific findings that suggest aliens are real Which photo is of Earth and which of Mars? 
Earth is on the right. During a recent pass over the Australian continent, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly snapped 17 photos from the International Space Station, and they all look insanely alien — almost like certain features on Mars. Mars is on the left. When temperatures heat up in the Martian spring, the carbon-dioxide ice in the polar caps sublimates, meaning it changes from its solid form directly to a gas, into the atmosphere, leaving behind these distinct starburst patterns. Why the melting process makes these characteristic patterns is a subject of ongoing research. (All of the photos of Mars shown here were taken by the HiRISE camera on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Each Mars photo has false coloring that highlights distinct Martian features, like sand dunes.)
Which photo is of Earth and which of Mars? 
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