An asteroid smashed into Mars? New study reveals amazing discovery

Did an asteroid terraform Mars and turn into the Red Planet that mesmerizes scientists today? Here’s what a recent study has to say.

By: SHAURYA TOMER
| Updated on: Aug 23 2022, 19:04 IST
Awesome NASA photo of Mars- Just check it out
Mars
1/5 This amazing image of Mars with blue ripples reveals the secret of the red planet’s winds, says NASA. (NASA)
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2/5 NASA wrote in the image’s post ““There are tiny ripples on the tops of the dunes, only several feet from crest-to-crest. These merge into larger mega-ripples about 30 feet apart that radiate outward from the dunes. The larger, brighter formations that are roughly parallel are called "Transverse Aeolian Ridges" (TAR). These TAR are covered with very coarse sand”. (NASA)
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3/5 “All of these different features can indicate which way the wind was blowing when they formed. Being able to study such a variety so close together allows us to see their relationships and compare and contrast features to examine what they are made of and how they formed,” NASA further added. (NASA)
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4/5 According to NASA, the blue colour was not added for effect but had an important reason behind it. On the right side the ripples appear in blue-green color while on the left side, it appears in bright blue because the wind is blowing faster on the left side of the image and the TAR appears in bright color. On the right side, the slower moving wind gives it an ocean green color. (NASA)
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5/5 Just a month ago, NASA’s Mars Rover reported dust whirlwinds on Mars, known as Dust Devils. These whirlwinds got as big as 4 square kilometers and occurred multiple times a day. Therefore, to study the wind patterns, NASA added the blue colour to study the changing wind patterns on the red planet. (NASA)
Mars
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Mars was terraformed by an asteroid colliding with Mars and forming the craters and lowlands that we see today. (Pixabay)

Mars, also known as the Red Planet has fascinated scientists, astronomers as well as science fiction authors for decades due to its mysterious craters, lowlands and a core full of precious and rare metals. Authors have even written books such as War of the Worlds fantasizing about life on Mars. Movies like Total Recall have only fueled the fire of the search for extraterrestrial life on the Red Planet. A recent study has made a stunning revelation about Mars' unique features as well as its two Moons.

Earlier, many theories were considered as the reason behind the formation of these features such as ancient oceans, alien earthquakes or asteroid impact, according to space. com. Now, a new research paper has weighed in on the argument suggesting that the asteroid theory may have been the reason behind Mars' striking features.

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The research paper, recently published in the Geophysical Research Letters, is a collaboration between Stephen Mojzsis, a professor in the University of Colorado Boulder's department of geological sciences and Ramon Brasser, an astronomer at the Earth-Life Science Institute at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan.

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According to the theory, known as "Single Impact Hypothesis”, a celestial body the size of Ceres dwarf planet collided with Mars and broke away a part of its Northern Hemisphere, leaving behind a deposit of rich minerals. The debris left after the collision slowly came together to form the two moons – Phobos and Deimos. According to the study, the rich minerals account for 0.8 percent of Mars.

Stephen Mojzsis said in a statement, "We showed in this paper — that from dynamics and from geochemistry — that we could explain these three unique features of Mars.”

“This solution is elegant, in the sense that it solves three interesting and outstanding problems about how Mars came to be,” he added further.

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First Published Date: 23 Aug, 19:04 IST
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