Uncovering Mars' frosty secrets: How water behaves on the Red Planet
Olympus Mons, suggesting the presence of a sparse yet active water cycle on the Red Planet. Published in the journal Nature Geoscience, the research unveils a unique phenomenon where frost forms for a few hours each morning during Mars' colder seasons in the ancient calderas of the Tharsis volcanic region, which includes Olympus Mons.
Surprising Finding Challenges Previous Assumptions
The frost was observed 13.5 miles above Mars' surface, marking the first time scientists have witnessed frozen water so near to the planet's equator. This finding challenges earlier assumptions that frost formation around the Martian equator was impossible due to the planet's thin atmosphere and intense sunlight.
According to a CNN report, lead author Adomas Valantinas, formerly a PhD student at the University of Bern, Switzerland, and now a postdoctoral researcher at Brown University, USA, expressed astonishment, stating, «We thought it was impossible for frost to form around Mars's equator, as the mix of sunshine and thin atmosphere keeps temperatures relatively high at both surface and mountaintop – unlike what we see on Earth, where you might expect to see frosty peaks.»
Five Years of Study and Analysis
Valantinas and his team conducted a comprehensive analysis, spanning five years, of data from the European Space Agency's Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Mars Express Orbiter. Their meticulous study, involving over 30,000 images of the region, revealed that during Martian winter months, a delicate layer of frost, as thin as a human
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