Mars spaceship spots ‘angelic figure’ near South Pole before Christmas

While Santa is getting ready for Christmas on earth at the North Pole of Earth, angels enter the holiday spirit South Pole of Mars. A spaceship spotted an “angelic figure” and a big heart at the Martian South Pole, just a week before Christmas.

This week, the high-resolution stereo camera of the European Space Agency’s Mars Express captured “the defined wings of an angelic figure, with a halo,” as well as a large heart next to it. The pair of festive silhouettes appear bright red, in stark contrast to the light beige color of the Martian sand surrounding them.

According to the space agency, the dark color is due to the composition of sand dunes, which are made up of minerals also found on Earth, such as pyroxene and olivine.

The South Pole itself, currently in summer, is located to the right of the Ethereal Stage, just outside of the frame. During the Martian winter, the region would be covered with an ice cap one mile thick and 250 miles wide – but, right now, ice reserves are at their lowest annual level.

Officials said the angel’s hand, which appears to reach for the left, may be a large sublimation pit – a depression on the planet’s surface that forms when ice turns to gas during the months of ‘summer.

The angel’s head and halo appear to have formed when a celestial object crashed into the planet, revealing underground layers that provide a glimpse into the long history of Mars. The heart is the result of a line of cliffs formed by erosion.

The scenic landscape also features Martian dust demons to the left of the figure. Dust devils, common on the Red Planet, form when strong winds stir up dust from the surface.

The south pole of Mars has been in the spotlight in recent months after scientists were detected three new underground lakes – and the possibility of many others – indicating the potential for existence of microbial life.