A snowfall on Mars

2008/03/06 Lakar Iraizoz, Oihane - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Astronomia

NASA satellite Mars Reconnaisance Orbiter received on February 19 a series of snowfalls or falls from the north pole of Mars. Dust clouds generated by falling materials (probably small grains of ice and dust and large blocks) can be seen from a precipice of more than seven hundred meters. On the ravine (to the left of the image) you can see the still frozen layer of carbon dioxide (blank). As spring progresses, it disappears.

This is the first time that such a phenomenon has occurred through cameras. In fact, most of the images of Mars that are collected belong to very little altered areas in millions of years. From time to time, at different times of the year, they take pictures of the same place and see how it changes from one station to another, but until now they did not see this type of events closely.

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