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Mars recently received a "punch" when a small space rock hit the surface of the red planet and created a new impact crater that looks like a black and blue blue.
The impact crater, estimated to be between 49 and 53 feet wide, was captured in a new image from NASA's Mars reconnaissance orbiter (MRO), Space.com reported. The MRO, which has been analyzing Mars for more than 13 years with its High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera and its Low Resolution Context Camera (CTX), captured a HiRISE color image in April, shared by NASA in June. 6. The researchers say that Mars' "black and blue" crater could have formed between September 2016 and February 2019.
HiPOD June 6, 2019: a work of art
An impressionist painting? No, it's a new impact crater on Mars, formed between September 2016 and February 2019. What sets it apart is the darker material exposed under the reddish dust. (Special thanks to Nahúm Mendez.) Https://t.co/tspasjsG90 pic.twitter.com/T4ml5gfTnH
– HiRISE (NASA) (@HiRISE) June 6, 2019
Veronica Bray, a member of the HiRISE team and scientist at the University of Arizona, told Space.com that this impact crater was one of the largest ever seen on the red planet. According to Bray, the space rock that could have caused the crater was probably about 5 feet wide and was small. The space rock may also have a stronger shape, because other rocks that break in the atmosphere of Mars could break very high in the air, generate crater rushes and drop loose pieces at the same time. surface of the red planet.
"It's a reminder of what's out there," Bray told Space.com. "It's a magnificent [crater]. I'm glad to have it in the color band. "
Nobody knows for sure what is the bluish hue of the picture, but Bray and his team think there could be ice, noted Fox News. The photo also shows the impact wave, a dark area where dust has moved away from the reddish surface of the red planet.
Peter Grindrod, a researcher with the ExoMars program and scientist in planetary science at the Natural History Museum in London, was also shocked by the new impact crater. June 12 he shared a GIF on Twitter that showed the crater "before" and "after" CTX's photos. Grindrod does not belong to the HiRISE team, but he is a regular contributor to the HiRISE website's digital terrain model archive. He likes to create height maps showing the geological diversity of Mars, including craters and dust devils.
KABOOM! Before and after images of a meteorite forming a brand new crater impact on Mars. Between February 18, 2017 and March 20, 2019. pic.twitter.com/TWXtUoP5NA
– Peter Grindrod (@Peter_Grindrod) June 12, 2019
"That kind of thing blew me up," Grindrod told Space.com, referring to the size of the new crater. "I have never seen anything like it."
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