- High winds have carved interesting shapes in the south pole of Mars, including what looks like an angel and a huge red heart.
- Images of the shapes have been exhibited by the European Space Agency,
- Mars’s South Pole is actually quite wet, with liquid water lying beneath an icy crust, so understanding the forces in the region can help you unlock some of the planet’s secrets.
It is the holidays in many countries here on Earth, and if you lean towards the religious meanings of different dates on the calendar, you are probably familiar with seeing angels associated with these events. Based on new images released by the European Space Agency, it appears that Mars has decided to play along this year, with various forces carving out shapes near the planet’s south pole that look a lot like an angel and a bold red heart .
Researchers are studying the interesting shapes not because they look like something you might see on a Christmas wall here on Earth, but because of the interesting events they made possible. If you are in the holiday mood, you can of course imagine Mars decorated for us.
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So what exactly caused these shapes to emerge? Well, it’s actually quite complicated. The large ‘halo’ around the angel’s head is actually an impact crater that formed the head and spread a cascade of material to the surrounding area. Meanwhile, some of the other lower regions are the result of ice turning to gas and forming a depression.
ESA explains:
The ‘angel’ and ‘heart’ are both composed of several interesting features. First, the angel’s hand, seen as if reaching to the left, is believed to be a large sublimation well, a type of feature that forms when ice turns to gas, leaving voids and voids in the planetary surface (a process that often occurs as the seasons change). Sublimation pits have been seen on other planets in the solar system, such as Pluto, and can also be seen scattered throughout the terrain to the right.
Far from the dry, dusty wasteland scientists once assumed, Mars has proven to have dynamic weather in many of its regions, with water ice and salty liquid water near the poles. If the theory that Mars once had a wealth of water includes, well, water, then it’s possible life existed there for a long time. Unfortunately, it is also possible that Mars was a rocky, watery world that never got all the ingredients needed to form life.
Future missions, including NASA’s Perseverance rover currently headed for Mars, could shed some light on the history (or lack thereof) of life on Mars, but for now at least we know there is a heart and an angel there.
Mike Wehner has spent the past decade reporting on technology and video games, covering the latest news and trends in VR, wearables, smartphones and future technology. Most recently, Mike worked as a Tech Editor at The Daily Dot, appearing in USA Today, Time.com and numerous other web and print outlets. His love of reporting comes second to his gaming addiction.