NASA recently released a report on the discovery of circular sand dunes nearly perfect on the surface of Mars. While sand dunes of various shapes and sizes are common on the red planet, these new formations are considered atypical and intriguing.
The image of the circular sand dunes was captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) probe in November last year.
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Located in a region around jagged dunes near a crater on Utopia Planitia in the northern hemisphere of Mars, the dunes are strangely almost perfectly circular, but still slightly asymmetrical, with steep slide faces at the ends south.
The diversity of shape and texture on the surface of Mars
The diversity of shapes and textures on the surface of Mars has always caught the attention of scientists. The images of the circular dunes are part of a project that monitors how the end of winter influences the different formations on the planet.
A planetary geologist from the University of Arizona, who participated in the research, explained that the steep areas in the southern edges of the circular dunes indicate that these mounds were formed by winds that generally move south at that time.
The ship that captured the images
The images were captured by the HiRISE color camera on NASA's MRO spacecraft, which has been in orbit around Mars since 2006. In addition to studying the red planet's atmosphere and topography, MRO also serves as an important relay station for several Martian missions.
This discovery is an example of how space exploration and scientific research on Mars continues to amaze us.
The unusual circular sand dunes on Mars are yet another conundrum for scientists to solve while seek to understand the geological history of the red planet and its future possibilities for exploration and colonization.