Our dusty planetary neighbor, Mars, has a bare and stark landscape. You may think that there’s nothing there to see, but recent data unveil something odd yet stunning.
Seeing a volcanic plain pierced with impact craters is genuinely intriguing and inspiring in a world almost utterly alien. The ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter captured a picture, so we can now enjoy it.
Here is what you need to know.
Impact Craters Similar to Earth’s
Back in March, the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter shot an incredible view of the Lunae Planum, a transitional area between the Tharsis Monten volcanic complex and the northern lowlands.
Astronomers believe that the region may be responsible for lava deposits. So far, they didn’t come across much evidence, but the work is ongoing.
Below you can see the incredible impact craters:
As you can notice, there are 3 craters that speckle the plain, including one that takes center stage and 2 small ones nearby. As per scientists’ findings, the craters appeared after the volcanic surfacing, bringing material from underneath.
More About Mars’ Impact Craters
Thanks to the new picture of Mars’ impact craters, we can better understand the planet’s processes. Also, we can finally have a glimpse into our planetary neighbor’s past, which is one of the best things we can do.
For example, the larger craters display some signs of layering around their rims. Scientists think that the features could be made by successive lava flows when Mars was more volcanically active. How great is that?
We still don’t know whether the Red Planet is still volcanically active. However, recent proof indicates that we might have a chance to find out after all.
Moreover, examining the disturbances in the volcanic areas can show us when the lava flows happened, helping us put together a rich volcanic history of our planetary neighbor.