Astroboffins present fresh evidence of moving liquid water on Mars
Liquid water may be lurking beneath the southern polar ice cap on Mars, according to fresh evidence reported in Nature Astronomy.
Dark streaks and other surface patterns on Martian slopes hint that the unforgiving dust world may have once supported lakes and oceans billions of years ago. The loss of its atmosphere is believed to have caused that surface liquid to be stripped away, leaving Mars dry and barren. That said, scientists believe there is still water on Mars albeit locked up in icy deposits, frozen within regions that are cold and dry.
Now tantalizing data collected by past and present orbiting spacecraft suggests there may still be liquid water flowing on the Red Planet.
Previous radar measurements from NASA's Mars Express orbiter highlighted a particular bright spot, where an area beneath a chunk of ice in the same region was more reflective. Some astronomers thought the high reflectivity was a sign there was liquid water beneath the ice cap. Others, however, believed the same signal could be produced by other effects, such as conductive ice or minerals in the crust.
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