Recently, NASA published a strange photo captured on Mars. Nobody knows exactly what happened there, it is certain that, somehow, an enormous crater with a diameter of 30 meters appeared from nowhere.
Scientist say that the crater is a very strong evidence of a meteor impact that blew up dust to a height of 15 km.
The image was captured by HiRISE (an instrument of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft) on 19 November 2013. Although, astronomers believe that the crater was created by an asteroid impact, yet they have no proof of this.
It is possible that the impact tooks place between July 2010 and May 2012. It was probably one of the most powerful collisions observed so far on Mars.
The crater left behind by an impact with an enormouse asteroid
The crater spans approximately 100 feet (30 meters) in diameter and is surrounded by a large, rayed blast zone,” NASA officials wrote in a description of the new image.
Because the terrain where the crater formed is dusty, the fresh crater appears blue in the enhanced color of the image, due to removal of the reddish dust in that area.
“HiRISE” is an instrument mounted on the Mars Reconnaisance Orbiter spacecraft. It weighs 65 kg, cost 40 million dollars and it has a telescope with an aperture of 0.5 meters, one of the largest telescope used so far on a mission in space.
Before-and-after imaging that brackets appearance dates of fresh craters on Mars has indicated that impacts producing craters at least 12.8 feet (3.9 meters) in diameter occur at a rate exceeding 200 per year globally,
NASA officials wrote. But, they added:
few of the scars are as dramatic in appearance as this one.
Bottom line: MRO also serves as a crucial communications link between mission control and NASA’s currently operating Red Planet rovers, Opportunity and Curiosity.
Comments