Latest news with #MarsReconnaissanceOrbiter
The Independent
07-06-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Mystery of the dark markings on Mars could finally be solved
Mysterious dark streaks on Mars, observed since the 1970s, are likely due to wind and dust activity rather than water, according to new research. Researchers used a machine learning algorithm to analyze 500,000 streaks from over 86,000 NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter images, creating a global Martian map. The study found that recurring slope lineae (RSLs) are not associated with factors suggesting liquid or frost, but rather with above-average wind speed and dust deposition. Older slope streaks likely form when dust slides off slopes due to seismic activity, winds, or meteoroid impacts, appearing near recent impact craters. The findings cast doubt on the interpretation of slope streaks and RSLs as habitable environments, suggesting a dry origin of formation.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
These mysterious dark ‘streaks' on Mars aren't what scientists initially believed
Mysterious dark streaks first observed on Mars in the 1970s are not what many believed they were. Scientists now say the curious features that stretch for hundreds of meters down Martian slopes were likely signs of wind and dust activity — not water. 'A big focus of Mars research is understanding modern-day processes on Mars — including the possibility of liquid water on the surface,' Adomas Valantinas, a postdoctoral researcher at Brown University, said in a statement. 'Our study reviewed these features but found no evidence of water. Our model favors dry formation processes.' Valantinas and the University of Bern's Valentin Bickel coauthored the research which was recently published in the journal Nature Communications. To reach these conclusions, the researchers used a machine learning algorithm to catalog as many of the odd streaks as they could, creating a first-of-its-kind- global Martian map containing some 500,000 from more than 86,000 high-resolution images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Then, they compared their map to databases and catalogs of other factors, including temperature, wind speed, hydration, and rock slide activity. They looked for any correlations over hundreds of thousands of cases. The authors found that the ominous streaks that don't last for decades, known as recurring slope lineae or RSLs, are not generally associated with factors that suggest a liquid or frost origin. Those factors might include a specific slope orientation, high surface temperature fluctuations, and high humidity. The features were more likely to form in places with above-average wind speed and dust deposition. That points to a dry origin of formation, and they seem to show up in the same locations during the warmest periods of the Martian year before mysteriously vanishing. They concluded that the older slope streaks, which run down cliff faces and crater walls, most likely form when dust suddenly slides off slopes following seismic activity, winds, or even the shockwaves from meteoroid impacts. The streaks appear most often near recent impact craters, where shockwaves may shake the surface dust loose. The shorter-lived ones are typically found in places where dust devils or rockfalls are frequent. 'There were statistically significant correlations between new impact sites and the appearance of nearby slope streaks in certain regions, supporting this view,' NASA said. Previously, some had interpreted those streaks as liquid flows. It's possible that small amounts of water could mix with enough salt to create a flow on the frozen Martian surface, Brown University noted. The red planet was once more temperate, and there is water under the surface of Mars. Others believed they were triggered by dry process. These results cast new doubt on slope streaks and RSLs as habitable environments. 'That's the advantage of this big data approach,' Valantinas said. 'It helps us to rule out some hypotheses from orbit before we send spacecraft to explore.'
The Independent
06-06-2025
- Science
- The Independent
These mysterious dark ‘streaks' on Mars aren't what scientists initially believed
Mysterious dark streaks first observed on Mars in the 1970s are not what many believed they were. Scientists now say the curious features that stretch for hundreds of meters down Martian slopes were likely signs of wind and dust activity — not water. 'A big focus of Mars research is understanding modern-day processes on Mars — including the possibility of liquid water on the surface,' Adomas Valantinas, a postdoctoral researcher at Brown University, said in a statement. 'Our study reviewed these features but found no evidence of water. Our model favors dry formation processes.' Valantinas and the University of Bern's Valentin Bickel coauthored the research which was recently published in the journal Nature Communications. To reach these conclusions, the researchers used a machine learning algorithm to catalog as many of the odd streaks as they could, creating a first-of-its-kind- global Martian map containing some 500,000 from more than 86,000 high-resolution images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Then, they compared their map to databases and catalogs of other factors, including temperature, wind speed, hydration, and rock slide activity. They looked for any correlations over hundreds of thousands of cases. The authors found that the ominous streaks that don't last for decades, known as recurring slope lineae or RSLs, are not generally associated with factors that suggest a liquid or frost origin. Those factors might include a specific slope orientation, high surface temperature fluctuations, and high humidity. The features were more likely to form in places with above-average wind speed and dust deposition. That points to a dry origin of formation, and they seem to show up in the same locations during the warmest periods of the Martian year before mysteriously vanishing. They concluded that the older slope streaks, which run down cliff faces and crater walls, most likely form when dust suddenly slides off slopes following seismic activity, winds, or even the shockwaves from meteoroid impacts. The streaks appear most often near recent impact craters, where shockwaves may shake the surface dust loose. The shorter-lived ones are typically found in places where dust devils or rockfalls are frequent. 'There were statistically significant correlations between new impact sites and the appearance of nearby slope streaks in certain regions, supporting this view,' NASA said. Previously, some had interpreted those streaks as liquid flows. It's possible that small amounts of water could mix with enough salt to create a flow on the frozen Martian surface, Brown University noted. The red planet was once more temperate, and there is water under the surface of Mars. Others believed they were triggered by dry process. These results cast new doubt on slope streaks and RSLs as habitable environments. 'That's the advantage of this big data approach,' Valantinas said. 'It helps us to rule out some hypotheses from orbit before we send spacecraft to explore.'
Yomiuri Shimbun
30-05-2025
- Science
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Study Doubts Water Flows Caused Streaks on Martian Slopes
NASA / Handout via Reuters Dark finger-like slope streaks extending across the dusty Martian surface in a region called Arabia Terra are seen in this NASA satellite photo released on May 19. WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Images taken of Mars from orbit dating back as far as the 1970s have captured curious dark streaks running down the sides of cliffs and crater walls that some scientists have construed as possible evidence of flows of liquid water, suggesting that the planet harbors environments suitable for living organisms. A new study casts doubt on that interpretation. Examining about 500,000 of these sinewy features spotted in satellite images, the researchers concluded they were created probably through dry processes that left the superficial appearance of liquid flows, underscoring the view of Mars as a desert planet currently inhospitable to life — at least on its surface. The data indicated that formation of these streaks is driven by the accumulation of fine-grain dust from the Martian atmosphere on sloped terrain that is then knocked down the slopes by triggers such as wind gusts, meteorite impacts and marsquakes. 'The tiny dust particles can create flow-like patterns without liquid. This phenomenon occurs because extremely fine dust can behave similarly to a liquid when disturbed — flowing, branching and creating finger-like patterns as it moves downslope,' said Adomas Valantinas, a postdoctoral researcher in planetary sciences at Brown University and coleader of the study published on May 19 in the journal Nature Communications. 'It's similar to how dry sand can flow like water when poured. But on Mars, the ultra-fine particles and low gravity enhance these fluid-like properties, creating features that might be mistaken for water flows when they're actually just dry material in motion,' Valantinas added. The study examined about 87,000 satellite images — including those obtained between 2006 and 2020 by a camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter — of slope streaks, which form suddenly and fade over a period of years. They average roughly 600-775 meters long, sometimes branching out and going around obstacles. The slope streaks were concentrated mostly in the northern hemisphere, particularly in three major clusters: at the plains of Elysium Planitia, the highlands of Arabia Terra and the vast Tharsis volcanic plateau including the Olympus Mons volcano, towering about three times higher than Mount Everest. The researchers said limitations in the resolution of the satellite images mean they account for only a fraction of slope streaks. They estimated the actual number at up to two million. Water is considered an essential ingredient for life. Mars billions of years ago was wetter and warmer than it is today. The question remains whether Mars has any liquid water on its surface when temperatures seasonally can edge above the freezing point. It remains possible that small amounts of water — perhaps sourced from buried ice, subsurface aquifers or abnormally humid air — could mix with enough salt in the ground to create a flow even on the frigid Martian surface. That raises the possibility that the slope streaks, if caused by wet conditions, could be habitable niches. 'Generally, it is very difficult for liquid water to exist on the Martian surface, due to the low temperature and the low atmospheric pressure. But brines — very salty water — might potentially be able to exist for short periods of time,' said planetary geomorphologist and study coleader Valentin Bickel of the University of Bern in Switzerland. Given the massive volume of images, the researchers employed an advanced machine-learning method, looking for correlations involving temperature patterns, atmospheric dust deposition, meteorite impacts, the nature of the terrain and other factors. The geostatistical analysis found that slope streaks often appear in the dustiest regions and correlate with wind patterns, while some form near the sites of fresh impacts and quakes. The researchers also studied shorter-lived features called recurring slope lineae, or RSL, seen primarily in the Martian southern highlands. These grow in the summer and fade the following winter. The data suggested that these also were associated with dry processes such as dust devils — whirlwinds of dust — and rockfalls. The analysis found that both types of features were not typically associated with factors indicative of a liquid or frost origin such as high surface temperature fluctuations, high humidity or specific slope orientations. 'It all comes back to habitability and the search for life,' Bickel said. 'If slope streaks and RSL would really be driven by liquid water or brines, they could create a niche for life. However, if they are not tied to wet processes, this allows us to focus our attention on other, more promising locations.'
Scottish Sun
24-05-2025
- Science
- Scottish Sun
Martian ‘kneeling to pray', monstrous spiders, secret doorway and Ghandi's FACE – the creepiest pics of Mars ever taken
A giant creature's face has also been spotted ALIEN WORLD Martian 'kneeling to pray', monstrous spiders, secret doorway and Ghandi's FACE – the creepiest pics of Mars ever taken Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) EVEN though humans have never set foot on Mars, we've still got plenty of photos of the red planet. And if you went by those pics alone, you'd think the Martian surface was littered with mysterious faces, swarms of monstrous spiders, and even alien beings. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 15 This legendary Martian feature has been famous around the world since the 1970s Credit: NASA/JPL 15 It looks like a stone carving of a giant human (or even alien) face Credit: NASA/JPL Of course, Mars is just a barren wasteland – only occupied by camera-toting rovers shipped there from Earth. So why do we see all of these strange faces and figures on Mars? Well it's a phenomenon known as pareidolia, which is a human tendency to see patterns when there isn't one – and it's often to blame for those bizarre sightings on the red planet. Here are some of the creepiest "sightings" from our space neighbour, Mars. CYDONIA 'FACE ON MARS' One of the most iconic Martian faces is from the Cydonia region. The feature was first captured in 1976, revealing a strikingly humanlike formation on the Martian surface. Early images of the region were snapped by Viking 1 and Viking 2, a pair of Nasa orbiters tasked with imaging Mars. It's since been captured in several later photographs, clearly exposing it as an optical illusion. Sadly it's not a giant alien face at all – but a massive 1.2-mile-long Cydonian mesa. The region is known for its flat-topped mesas. SPACED OUT Stunning images of Mars surface revealed by Nasa BEAR WE GO 15 The giant face of a bear was captured on the Martian surface Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona Forget Stonehenge – what about a giant bear circle? That's what was seemingly snapped by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on December 12, 2022. It looks like the face of an enormous grizzly, but it's actually just a weird hill, as Nasa explains: "A V-shaped collapse structure makes the nose, two craters form the eyes, and a circular fracture pattern shapes the head. "The circular fracture pattern might be due to the settling of a deposit over a buried impact crater." LEG IT! 15 Arachnophobes, look away now Credit: ESA/TGO/CaSSIS 15 These strange spider-like formations aren't eight-legged critters – and that's very good news Credit: Nasa / JPL / MRO Several images of what look like terrifyingly large spiders have been captured on Mars. The first was caught by the European Space Agency's (ESA) ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter in October 2020, and the second was picked up by Nasa's MRO in May 2018. Thankfully they're not spiders at all – but a strange phenomenon called "araneiform terrain". "This is an active seasonal process not seen on Earth," Nasa explained. "Like dry ice on Earth, the carbon dioxide ice on Mars sublimates as it warms (changes from solid to gas) and the gas becomes trapped below the surface. "Over time the trapped carbon dioxide gas builds in pressure and is eventually strong enough to break through the ice as a jet that erupts dust. "The gas is released into the atmosphere and darker dust may be deposited around the vent or transported by winds to produce streaks. "The loss of the sublimated carbon dioxide leaves behind these spider-like features etched into the surface." LIVING ON A PRAYER 15 All the way to the far left of this image is what appears to be a Martian Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University 15 Look closely – can you see him? Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University (highlighted by The Sun) 15 The striking image appears to show a kneeling man Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University (cropped by The Sun) In 2007, Nasa's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit captured what appeared to be a person kneeling in prayer. It made headlines around the world when the image was released in early 2008. The eerie scene was part of a vast panorama of Martian hills taken during the closing months of Spirit's mission. Of course, all we're actually seeing is an interesting rock, and a trick of the light. GHANDI'S MARTIAN TWIN 15 Is this the face of Ghandi on Mars? Credit: ESA 15 Can you see any resemblance to Indian statesman and activist Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi? Credit: Getty - Contributor Pictures from Europe's Mars Express probe appear to have captured a Ghandi lookalike on Mars. The Mars Orbiter has been used to pack out the Google Mars project with satellite-style snaps of the red planet. And in 2011, Italian space fan Matteo Lanneo thought he spotted Ghandi's likeness on the surface. Of course, it's just another classic example of pareidolia, where we're simply seeing things that aren't really there. 15 Here's a better and higher-resolution snap of the spot captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which much more clearly shows a collapse pit rather than a hill Credit: ASU Mars Space Flight Facility MARTIAN DOORWAY 15 A panoramic image captured by Nasa's Curiosity Rover shows a secret doorway Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS 15 Nasa used its data to create a measurement of the 'doorway' Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS 15 The space agency says it's just a common type of fracture Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS In mid-2022, Nasa captured what appeared to be a "doorway" into a mound of rock nicknamed 'East Cliffs'. The picture of the mound on Mount Sharp was snapped by Nasa's Curiosity Rover. Sadly it's not really a doorway, as Nasa explains: "The mound, on Mount Sharp, has a number of naturally occurring open fractures – including one roughly 12 inches (30 centimeters) tall and 16 inches (40 centimeters) wide, similar in size to a dog door. "These kinds of open fractures are common in bedrock, both on Earth and on Mars."
