Tag: Mars climate
-
Mars Orbiter Spots Odd Sand Etchings: What Jan. 20, 2025’s Photo Reveals
Unraveling a Martian Mystery: Odd Sand Etchings Captured by a Mars Orbiter Mars keeps offering up surprises, reminding us that its most active processes often play out in slow motion. A recent photo of the day captured by a Mars orbiter reveals a set of puzzling, elongated etchings carved into a dune field. These markings,…
-
Was the Red Planet Once Blue? New Evidence Points to an Ancient Ocean on Mars
The Case for a Martian Ocean For decades, scientists have puzzled over Mars’s pale blue — or more accurately, pale red — past. Recent analyses of Martian rocks, valley networks, and ancient shorelines point to a once wetter climate that could have hosted a standing body of water. The emerging picture is not a single…
-
Thin Ice May Protect Lake Water on Frozen Mars
New insights from a Martian climate model A recent study from Rice University has revealed a surprising possibility about ancient Mars: small lake basins could have persisted as liquid water for decades even when average surface temperatures hovered well below freezing. By adapting a climate model for Martian conditions, the team demonstrates that thin ice…
-
Thin ice may have protected lake water on frozen Mars
Overview A study led by researchers from Rice University suggests that small lakes on ancient Mars could have remained liquid for extended periods, even when average atmospheric temperatures were well below freezing. The key factor: thin ice layers acting as insulating blankets that slowed heat loss and preserved liquid water beneath. This finding, derived from…