NEWS | May 21, 2008
Watching Seasons Pass on Mars
Just as migrating birds herald the changing seasons on Earth, sand dunes show seasonal change on the fourth rock from the Sun. From a distance, crescent-shaped dunes near the north pole of Mars can even resemble birds in flight.
The dunes are part of a sea of sand that scientists call an "erg." Summer is the time of year when their winter coat of ice evaporates and exposes the reddish-brown material underneath. Like birds flying in front of the moon on Earth, meter-thick waves of frost on Mars vanish and reappear depending on the season.
Thermal Emission Imaging System, 2001 Mars Odyssey
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Arizona State University
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