Scientists revealed Wednesday that Mars’ innermost core appears to be a solid hunk of metal just like Earth’s. The Chinese-led research team based their findings on seismic readings from NASA’s InSight lander on Mars,

Scientists have discovered that Mars has an interior structure similar to Earth’s. Results from Nasa’s Insight mission suggest that the red planet has a solid inner core surrounded by a liquid outer core, potentially resolving a longstanding mystery.

Scientists believe giant impacts – like the one depicted in this artist’s concept – occurred on Mars 4.5 billion years ago, injecting debris from the impact deep into the planet’s mantle. NASA’s InSight lander detected this debris before the mission’s end in 2022. Click image to enlarge. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech