The European Space Agency’s Mars probe has captured an intriguing image on Mars, featuring a circular shape resembling a smiling face.
Recently, astronomers discovered a “strange smiling face” shining from the surface of Mars while surveying the landscape of the red planet in a new study.
Sharing the image of the “smiling face” on Instagram, the European Space Agency (ESA) noted that this interesting shape is formed from an ancient chloride salt deposit, originating from the rim of a meteorite crater.
The image from the infrared camera shows a chloride salt deposit on the surface of Mars resembling a smiling face directed towards the spacecraft (Photo: ESA/TGO/CaSSIS).
Typically, these deposits are indistinguishable from the rest of Mars’ surface. However, thanks to the ExoMars Orbiter equipped with an infrared camera, the salt deposits have emerged in images with pink or purple hues.
Using images from the ExoMars Orbiter, researchers have created the first catalog of chloride salt deposits on Mars, totaling 965 different deposits scattered across the planet. On average, each deposit measures between 300 and 3,000 meters.
The ExoMars Orbiter has also been analyzing methane and other gas concentrations in the thin Martian atmosphere since 2016.
Researchers state that the discovery of these salt deposits on Mars is particularly significant, as they could provide optimal conditions for biological activity and preservation, as well as create targets for astrobiological exploration.
Mars was once a water-rich world with lakes, rivers, and a shallow ocean similar to Earth. However, around 2 to 3 billion years ago, water on Mars dwindled due to severe climate changes.
The cause of this transformation is still being clarified. Some hypotheses suggest that this phenomenon occurred due to Mars losing its magnetic field, allowing solar winds to “blow away” most of the planet’s atmosphere.
This led to most liquid water freezing or evaporating into space, turning Mars into the arid planet we see today.
However, the salt deposits left behind after the final water sources disappeared will decode the past and development history of this planet. They may even hold significant implications for the search for evidence of ancient life on Mars.
