Post by ray on Apr 11, 2020 22:26:57 GMT
Today, I read something spectacular that I didn't know about, even though it has been known since 2011.
There is a hole in Mars!
It appears to be an opening to an underground cavern, partly illuminated on the attached image. Analysis of this and follow-up images revealed the opening to be about 35 meters across, while the interior shadow angle indicates that the underlying cavern is roughly 20 meters deep. Why there is a circular crater surrounding this hole remains a topic of speculation, as is the full extent of the underlying cavern. Holes such as this are of particular interest, because their interior caves are relatively protected from the harsh surface of Mars, making them relatively good candidates to contain Martian life. These pits are therefore prime targets for possible future spacecraft, robots and even human interplanetary explorers.
Image credit: NASA, JPL, U. Arizona
There is a hole in Mars!
It appears to be an opening to an underground cavern, partly illuminated on the attached image. Analysis of this and follow-up images revealed the opening to be about 35 meters across, while the interior shadow angle indicates that the underlying cavern is roughly 20 meters deep. Why there is a circular crater surrounding this hole remains a topic of speculation, as is the full extent of the underlying cavern. Holes such as this are of particular interest, because their interior caves are relatively protected from the harsh surface of Mars, making them relatively good candidates to contain Martian life. These pits are therefore prime targets for possible future spacecraft, robots and even human interplanetary explorers.
Image credit: NASA, JPL, U. Arizona
