Mar 5, 2008

Picture of avalanches in Mars


Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, a NASA spacecraft in orbit around Mars has taken the first ever image of active avalanches near the Red Planet's north pole. Take a look at the amazing picture above. It was taken on February 19th, 2008. The orbiter's HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Experiment) camera took this image when it was checking for springtime changes in the carbon-dioxide frost covering a northern dune field.

"We don't know what set off these landslides," says Patrick Russell of the University of Berne, Switzerland, a HiRISE team collaborator. "We plan to take more images of the site through the changing Martian seasons to see if this kind of avalanche happens all year or is restricted to early spring." Link

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