Frost-covered sand dunes decorate Mars’ north pole

If you image winter on Earth, you in all probability conjure up photos of lovely snow-covered bushes and icicles dangling from homes. However on Mars, winter decorates the martian floor in really otherworldly methods, as lately documented by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).

Throughout winter on Mars, the planet’s poles can expertise nighttime temperatures as little as –190 levels Fahrenheit (–123 levels Celsius), which creates best situations for each snowfall and the formation of frost. However in contrast to Earth snow, Mars snow is available in two varieties: water ice and frozen carbon dioxide, or dry ice. 

Captured by MRO’s HiRISE digicam, the picture above exhibits rippling sand dunes coated by a layer of frost product of each water ice and carbon dioxide ice, giving the dunes an alluring blue sheen. MRO captured this shot simply two days after winter solstice for Mars’ northern hemisphere, which occurred July 21, 2022. 

When spring arrives on Mars, frosted dunes like these thaw out, revealing a lot darker sand hiding beneath, as seen within the picture beneath.