At one time, it seemed that there was a transparent dome on the surface of Mars.
Astronomy Picture of the Day (Astronomy Picture of the Day) was considered by NASA experts to be a picture of a “hole in Mars” (A Hole in Mars), as they call such a strange object that looks like a giant toilet. And in their god, they finally explained what it really is.
The mysterious hole appeared in color. And very clearly. Which actually allowed us to understand its nature.
The object was first seen in an image taken in 2011 from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) automatic station orbiting the Red Planet. In the low-resolution photo, it appeared in the form of a regular cone with a round platform at the top.
The object looked like a cone with a circular platform at the top.
The “cone” was located in the vicinity of the volcano Pavonis (Pavonis Mons), located near the equator of Mars and looked completely incongruous in the middle of the snow – covered expanses-a kind of foreign body. From a height of 262 kilometers, it looked like an artificial structure-a glass dome shining in the sun.
The object was photographed again, using a high – resolution camera-HiRISE. In its enlarged form, it no longer resembled the creation of alien hands. But he continued to amaze. The scientists saw that the “dome” was actually inverted. And it is a huge funnel with absolutely smooth edges. What looked to be the top turned out to be the bottom-a hole at the very bottom. Which made the object look like either a giant toilet bowl or a washbasin sink.
Clear images showed that the cone is a funnel.
Experts estimated the size of the “toilet”. According to Shane Byrne (Shane Byrne) from the University of Arizona, which is responsible for the operation of the HiRISE camera, the diameter of the hole at the bottom is 35 meters, the diameter of the funnel on the upper edge is about 200 meters.
In the end, it was possible to see that the hole leads to a certain cavity-you can see its bottom, which is about 30 meters away.
It seems, experts believe, that the hole was made in the so — called lava tube-in the cavity that was once formed by lava – molten rock that poured out during the eruption of the volcano. It flowed, solidifying from above. The bulk of the lava continued to move, leaving an empty space behind. A kind of tunnel.
The crater is located at the foot of a giant volcano (marked with a light rectangle slightly to the right at the top of the image.
The hole, of course, could have been punched by a meteorite. In this case, the cone should be considered a crater. But why is it so smooth? Or is it not a crater, and the snow just slid into the hole? Or was he sucked in? Along the edges of the funnel, by the way, there are traces that may indicate that the process is continuing. But where did the hole come from?
The mystery is not completely solved, – skeptics believe. And they are waiting for further clarification.
The crater is located at the foot of a giant volcano (marked with a light rectangle slightly to the right in the upper part of the image.
Read about the prospects for future colonists to settle in lava tubes. The cave inhabitants will be people who have arrived on the Moon and Mars.
In the giant lava tubes found on Mars and on the Moon, you can hide entire cities.
p-cosmos.com
