Every night before bed, Minji presses her nose to the window, hunting for the reddish dot her dad taught her to find. “There it is,” she says. “Hi, Mars.”
Tonight though, something’s been bugging her since breakfast. “Dad, why’s Mars orange? You said red, but it looks orange to me.”
Her dad plops down on the edge of her bed. “Huh. You know, you’re right. It’s not fire-truck red. More like… you know your bike, the one that sat out in the rain all winter?”
“The one Mom got mad about?”
“That one. Mars is basically that color. Except instead of one bike, it’s a whole planet’s worth.”
“A WHOLE planet rusted?”
“Pretty much. Billions of years of it. There’s iron in the dirt, just been rusting this whole time.”
“Is it bigger than Earth?”
“Smaller, actually.” He points at the basketball by her closet. “Earth’s that. Mars is about half as wide, more like a grapefruit. Little sibling planet.”
“Could we go live there?”
“Can’t breathe the air, too thin, mostly stuff you’d breathe out, not in. But we’ve sent robots. A few are up there right now, driving around, taking pictures, digging.”
“Right now? While I’m sleeping?”
“Right now. While you’re sleeping.”
Minji looks back at the little red dot, quiet for a second. “Night, rusty planet,” she whispers. Her dad kisses her forehead and, for once, doesn’t rush her from the window. Some nights, he figures, the best bedtime stories are just the true ones. 🔴✨
Now It’s Your Turn
Grab someone you love and see what you both remember. No scores, just talking it through together.
- Why does Mars look orange instead of true red?
- Bigger or smaller than Earth?
- What’s happening on Mars right now, even while we sleep?
(Whenever you’re ready: 1. Rusted iron in the soil. 2. Smaller, about half as wide as Earth. 3. Rovers, still out there driving and digging.)
Maybe tonight you can find your own reddish dot and say goodnight to it too. 🔴💛
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