Far from a
smooth, icy surface, Mars’ south polar ice cap is dotted with oddly-shaped
pits.
Planetary
scientists believe erosion carved the kidney bean-shaped pits into the frozen
carbon dioxide that makes up Mars’ south polar ice cap. It is one of about 12
different patterns seen in the region by the NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft.
Taken in
the Martian southern spring and released Aug. 17, this image is one of many
taken by the Mars Orbiter Camera aboard MGS. The region is almost constantly in
daylight throughout 2005 and visible on ever orbit MGS takes around the red
planet, making it a prime target for observation. This image covers an area
about 1.9 miles (three kilometers) wide.
-- SPACE.com Staff
Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems.
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