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 |  Subject: What's inside the 'pit of Mars'? Satellites spot strange 'Swiss cheese' area of the red planet next to a giant hole  Fri Jun 02, 2017 5:28 am | |
| What's inside the 'pit of Mars'? Satellites spot strange 'Swiss cheese' area of the red planet next to a giant hole
- New image from the HiRISE instrument reveals strange circular formation in Mars' southern hemisphere
- It also shows a look at the 'Swiss cheese terrain,' with shallow pits dotting the carbon dioxide ice
- Experts say the bizarre Martian pit could be either an impact crater or a South Polar collapse pit
By Cheyenne Macdonald For Dailymail.comPublished: 14:55 EDT, 1 June 2017 | Updated: 03:25 EDT, 2 June 2017 A bizarre pit in Mars’ southern hemisphere has left scientists baffled as to how it formed.The feature, which resembles the home of a fictional Star Wars beast that could swallow a person whole, may have been created from an impact with a rogue space rock – or, it could be the result of a collapse at the surface.A stunning new image captured by the HiRISE instrument on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed a look at the strange circular formation and the surrounding ‘Swiss cheese terrain’ on the red planet.Scroll down for video  A bizarre pit in Mars’ southern hemisphere has left scientists baffled as to how it formed. The feature, which resembles the home of a fictional Star Wars beast that could swallow a person whole, may have been created from an impact with a rogue space rock – or, it could be the result of a collapse at the surfaceThe image was captured on March 25, during the late stages of summer in Mars’ southern hemisphere, researchers say.At this time, the sun sits low in the sky, better revealing the subtle texture of the Martian surface.‘We see many shallow pits in the bright residual cap of carbon dioxide ice (also called “Swiss cheese terrain”),’ wrote Alfred McEwen, of the University of Arizona’s Lunar & Planetary Laboratory.‘There is also a deeper, circular formation that penetrates through the ice and dust.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4563740/What-s-PIT-Mars-Orbiter-spots-Swiss-cheese.html#ixzz4iq6uP0sg
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