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The Enigmas on Mars 73 |
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Surreal Landscape ..
This new image of Mars taken
by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows an
optical illusion. What appears
to be trees rising from the Martian surface are
actually dark streaks of
collapsed material running down sand dunes due
to carbon dioxide frost
evaporation. The image was released in Jan.
2010.
Strange Mars Photo Includes Tantalizing 'Tree' Illusion Naturally erupting dust clouds on Mars are creating structures that look surprisingly like trees near the planet's north pole. But don't be fooled ? it's just an optical illusion, NASA scientists say. The Martian "trees" are actually dark basaltic sand pushed to the surface of sand dunes by sun-heated solid carbon dioxide ice, or dry ice, sublimating directly into vapor, explained Candy Hansen, a member of NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) team at the University of Arizona. The sand dunes form a nearly complete ring around Mars' north pole and are covered by a thin layer of reddish Martian dust and patches of dry ice. To date, there is no firm evidence of any type of Martian biology, past or present, plant or otherwise. Credit:
SOURCE: Space.com |
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