Astronomy Picture of the Day

Unusual Bright Soil on Mars


Bild Note: 0 (0 Votes)

⏴ previousBild Upload von 18.02.2016 21:43next ⏵
zorg.ch
#85551 by @ 07.04.2006 00:00 - nach oben -
Unusual Bright Soil on Mars


Explanation:

What is this bright soil on Mars?

Several times while rolling across Mars, the treads of the
>robotic rover Spirit have serendipitously uncovered
unusually bright soil.

Spirit uncovered another batch unexpectedly last month while
>rolling toward its winter hibernation location on
McCool Hill.

The physics and chemistry
>instruments on Spirit have determined the soil,
>shown above, contains a high content of
salts
including iron-bearing
sulfates.

A leading hypothesis holds that these salts record the presence of past
water,
with the salts becoming concentrated as the water
>evaporated.



Lecture: APOD editor to give public talk in Princeton on April 11


Credit & Copyright