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NASA Discovers New Gully on Mars
Space.com ^
| March 20, 2014
| Mike Wall
Posted on 03/21/2014 6:30:15 AM PDT by 12th_Monkey
A NASA spacecraft has spotted a big gully on Mars, a feature that appears to have formed only within the last three years.
The powerful HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) imaged the channel, which is found on the slope of a crater wall in the Red Planet's mid-southern latitudes, on May 25, 2013. The feature was not present in HiRISE photos of the area taken on Nov. 5, 2010. NASA unveiled the image on Wednesday (March 19).
While the Mars gully looks a lot like river channels here on Earth, it likely was not carved out by flowing water, NASA officials said.
"The dates of the images are more than a full Martian year apart, so the observations did not pin down the Martian season of the activity at this site," officials wrote in a description of the gully image on Wednesday.
But, they added, "before-and-after HiRISE pairs of similar activity at other sites demonstrate that this type of activity generally occurs in winter, at temperatures so cold that arbon dioxide, rather than water, is likely to play the key role."
However, MRO has observed other Martian features that do seem associated with liquid water dark streaks known as recurring slope lineae.
RSL lines snake down crater walls and other slopes during warm weather on the Red Planet, and some researchers think they're caused by briny water that contains an iron-based antifreeze. Direct evidence of flowing water at RSL sites, however, remains elusive.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: astronomy; gully; mars; nasa; spaceexploration; water
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To: Yo-Yo
It’s a trench for the cable tee vee lines to go in.
21
posted on
03/21/2014 7:10:45 AM PDT
by
a fool in paradise
(The Texas judge's decision was to pave the way for same sex divorce for two Massachusetts women.)
To: 12th_Monkey
Spring melt-off :)
More ‘white stuff’ on top of ridges than first photo?
22
posted on
03/21/2014 7:43:53 AM PDT
by
maine-iac7
(Christian is as Christian does - by their fruits)
To: SunkenCiv
Well, I guess it’s not Bush’s fault.
23
posted on
03/21/2014 7:59:00 AM PDT
by
married21
( As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.)
To: 12th_Monkey
The Martians obviously need to be told what to do by a version of the EPA to fix that!
24
posted on
03/21/2014 8:23:14 AM PDT
by
Ruy Dias de Bivar
(Sometimes you need 7+ more ammo. LOTS MORE.)
To: Gay State Conservative
Subtitle: “EPA defines new gully as wetland - prohibits any improvements to the area.”
25
posted on
03/21/2014 8:29:39 AM PDT
by
Pecos
(The Chicago Way: Kill the Constitution, one step at a time.)
To: staytrue; 12th_Monkey
26
posted on
03/21/2014 9:00:01 AM PDT
by
UCANSEE2
To: 12th_Monkey
RSL lines snake down crater walls and other slopes during warm weather on the Red Planet, and some researchers think they're caused by briny water that contains an iron-based antifreeze. Direct evidence of flowing water at RSL sites, however, remains elusive. That's far more interesting.
27
posted on
03/21/2014 9:03:22 AM PDT
by
Moonman62
(The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
To: C210N
Ha! The gully was caused by the plane...yep seems reasonable
28
posted on
03/21/2014 9:13:47 AM PDT
by
12th_Monkey
(One man one vote is a big fail, when the "one" man is an idiot.)
To: staytrue
I’ll look at it again.
I don’t think it’s flowing water but slushy dirt like you said. But for there to be a gully, thats pretty significant movement of material.
29
posted on
03/21/2014 9:15:55 AM PDT
by
12th_Monkey
(One man one vote is a big fail, when the "one" man is an idiot.)
To: rjsimmon
I had forgotten about the core.
Mars has a spotty magnetic field, so while it still may have a core, it’s not spinning like ours. Thanks for the clarification.
30
posted on
03/21/2014 9:18:14 AM PDT
by
12th_Monkey
(One man one vote is a big fail, when the "one" man is an idiot.)
To: Yo-Yo
31
posted on
03/21/2014 9:18:59 AM PDT
by
12th_Monkey
(One man one vote is a big fail, when the "one" man is an idiot.)
To: 12th_Monkey
Currently designated as 'Gully G'.
(thank you very much!)
32
posted on
03/21/2014 9:19:02 AM PDT
by
Ken H
(What happens on the internet, stays on the internet.)
To: 12th_Monkey
I dont think its flowing water but slushy dirt like you said. But for there to be a gully, thats pretty significant movement of material.
What we are seeing here are pics taken in the off season of the Martian version of "Gold Rush" mining site!
33
posted on
03/21/2014 10:59:56 AM PDT
by
freebird5850
(The only good thing about Barry getting re-elected is now we get to see him fall from a higher place)
To: freebird5850
I can’t stand Dakota Fred
34
posted on
03/21/2014 11:03:10 AM PDT
by
12th_Monkey
(One man one vote is a big fail, when the "one" man is an idiot.)
To: Yo-Yo
Martian contractor forgot to put up a silt fence.
MEPA be down on him in a minute.
35
posted on
03/21/2014 11:05:30 AM PDT
by
tet68
( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
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