This Is a Carbon Dioxide Avalanche as Seen From Mars's Orbit
Image: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Tech

This Is a Carbon Dioxide Avalanche as Seen From Mars's Orbit

You think water-ice avalanches are scary? Here’s a taste of Mars’s carbon dioxide avalanches.

Mars is having a great PR week, what with the impending release of The Martianand the recent announcement that the red planet is likely home to flowing water.

If you're looking to keep riding that sweet Martian high, here's just the thing—a phenomenal new snapshot of an avalanche at the planet's north pole, released on Wednesday.

Avalanches like this one are common on Mars, especially since it's springtime in the planet's northern hemisphere. But unlike on Earth, where water-based snow tumbles down mountainsides, Martian avalanches are made from condensed carbon dioxide that builds up as frost and ice at the poles.

The HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been monitoring these CO2 avalanches for some time, and it was able to capture this one right as it was happening.

The image is one more reminder that though Mars is a punishing and barren world, it still has a lot in common with Earth. Studying its natural processes is not only interesting on its own merits—it will also help us prepare for whatever challenges might arise when the first astronauts put their boots on the ground.