European Space Agency has cleared doubts over blue patches seen in image of Mars captured by its Mars Express orbiter. The agency said on its website that the blue regions are in fact dark sediments distributed on the Red Planet by high speed winds.

Researchers have been claiming for long the existence of water on the Red Planet, but the fact is that the temperature on the planet is so low that nearly all the water there is frozen solid.

“At first glance, this image seems to show something amazing in this crater, and in one of its neighbors to the right”, said the ESA. However, the reality is that it’s an optical illusion attributable to the image processing.

The ESA's Mars Express orbiter has been keeping a watch on the Red Planet since December 2003. The picture in question was captured in November 2014 by one of the orbiter's high-tech cameras on the craft's 1,3728th orbit around the planet.

Impact of high winds on Mars can be seen in the image. Researchers have explained that winds on the Red Planet are well capable of reaching speeds of up to 62 miles per hour (100 kph). The winds spread the sediment and create a scrubbing effect on the many impact craters that pock the planet's surface.

Researchers have so far not been able to discover any major sources of water on Mars. They are still waiting for evidence to confirm existence of South Pacific-like beaches on the planet.