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Mars Polar Cap Mystery Solved

Posted by Soulskill on from the feather-in-their-cap dept.

Matt_dk writes "Scientists are now able to explain why Mars' residual southern ice cap is misplaced, thanks to data from ESA's Mars Express spacecraft (the same probe running the 'Mars Webcam'). It turns out the martian weather system is to blame. And so is the largest impact crater on Mars — even though it is nowhere near the south pole. Like Earth, Mars has frozen polar caps, but unlike Earth, these caps are made of carbon dioxide ice as well as water ice. During the southern hemisphere's summer, much of the ice cap sublimates, a process in which the ice turns straight back into gas, leaving behind what is known as the residual polar cap. The mystery was that while the winter cap is symmetrical about the south pole, the residual cap was offset, and scientists couldn't figure out why."

5 of 77 comments (clear)

  1. Treasury Bailout Package by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Congress's bailout package will reward failed wall street companies instead of letting them crater and injecting money into solvent banks.

    This is an important read for those who have money in banks and stocks, and who hope to make the US their home for the next few decades:
    http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2008/09/20/treasurys-financial-bailout-proposal-to-congress/

    1. Re:Treasury Bailout Package by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      Most economists agree that Government intervention prolonged the great depression. Likewise, in hindsight, the current bailouts will almost certainly be considered a failure. It might hurt in the short term, but there is a lot of dead wood that needs to be purged. Propping up a decaying company distorts the market and hampers stronger companies that would otherwise step in and fill the void.

  2. Bruce Lee rises from grave by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Oh, no, that's Christopher Lee. He is making Dracula 2010 and is back at Hammer. God Save the Queen and all that.

  3. Re:Water Ice by Tablizer · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Frost post

    I'd give you a mod-point for that one. It's good for a snicker. (Quote altered slightly for clarification.)

       

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    Table-ized A.I.
  4. Re:Alien planet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    morgan_greywolf@tampabay.rr.com