- Strong winds have carved interesting shapes in the South Martian pole, including what appears to be an angel and a massive red heart.
- The images of the shapes were presented by the European Space Agency,
- The south pole of Mars is actually quite humid, with liquid water located under an icy crust, so understanding the forces working in the region could unlock some of the secrets of the planet.
It is the holiday season in many countries on Earth, and if you look at the religious significance of the various dates on the calendar, you are probably familiar with the angels associated with these events. Based on the new images released by the European Space Agency, it seems that Mars has decided to play throughout this year, with different forces sculpting shapes near the south pole of the planet, which closely resembles an angel and a bold red heart.
Researchers are studying interesting shapes not because they look like something you might see on a holiday mural here on Earth, but because of the interesting events that made them possible. Of course, if you feel like a holiday, you can imagine that Mars decorated for us.
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So what exactly determined the formation of these forms? Well, it’s actually a bit complicated. The large “halo” around the angel’s head is actually an impact crater that formed the head and spread a cascade of material into the surrounding area. Meanwhile, some of the other lower regions are the result of the transformation of ice into gas, forming a depression.
ESA explains:
The “angel” and the “heart” are both composed of various interesting features. First, the angel’s hand, seen as if to the left, is considered to be a large sublimation pit, a type of feature that forms as ice turns to gas and leaves empty pockets and depressions on the planet’s 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 be seen and scattered on the ground to the right.
Far from being the dry, dusty wasteland that scientists once assumed, Mars proved to have dynamic weather in many of its regions, with icy water and liquid salt water near its poles. If the theory that Mars once had a wealth of water holds, well, water, then life may have existed there for a long time. Unfortunately, it is also possible that Mars is a rocky, watery world that never got all the ingredients it needed to form life.
Future missions, including NASA’s Perseverance rover, which is currently on its way to Mars, could shed light on the history of life (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 reported on technology and video games over the past decade, covering breaking news and trends in VR, portable devices, smartphones and future technology. Most recently, Mike served as technical editor at The Daily Dot and was featured in USA Today, Time.com, and countless other websites and prints. His love of reporting is second only to gambling addiction.