In our recent #Origin story on Mars, you have read how our never-ending curiosity to explore the mysterious Red Planet has led us to so many surprise findings. Till date, several rovers have been sent to the planet, the latest being NASA’s Perseverance with a mission to explore, study, and collect valuable information to help planetary scientists.
Researchers from the California Institute of Technology and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) found evidence of the presence of water on the surface of the Red Planet. According to their study, about four billion years ago, the plant had abundant water – enough to cover the whole planet in an ocean that is about 100 to 1,500 metres deep. There were also water bodies like small pools, lakes, and even deep oceans. But a billion years later, the planet is as dry as a dessert. So where did all the water vanish?
Earlier studies hinted that Mars’ low gravity let water escape into space. But years later, a new theory dismissed that assumption.
Read More: Can NASA Scientists Dig A Hole On Mars?
Recently, the Mars Express mission confirmed this years-old theory of the presence of water on Mars. Created by the European Space Agency, the mission’s Mars-orbiting spacecraft discovered new liquid water ponds buried under the ice in the south polar region of Mars. This discovery also shows that about 30 to 99 per cent of the earlier missing water is also ‘trapped’ within minerals in the planet’s crust.
Earlier in 2018, the rover revealed one underground reservoir hinting at a possible habitat of life. But that finding was based on just 29 observations made from 2012 to 2015, which many researchers considered as ‘less enough’ to support the claim. The latest discovery confirmed that the lakes are spread over about 75,000 square kilometres — an area roughly one-fifth the size of Germany! The largest, central lake measures 30 kilometres across and is surrounded by three smaller ponds, each a few kilometres wide.
Publishing in the Science journal, the planetary scientist Elena Pettinelli at the University of Rome said, “this time, we use a broader data set comprising 134 observations from 2012 to 2019. Along with that, the new radar instrument MARSIS also helped in identifying these hidden ponds by cruising the rocks.”
Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding or MARSIS is a low frequency, pulse-limited radar sounder with a 40-meter long antenna. It sends out radio waves that bounce off layers of material in the planet’s surface and subsurface to locate water bodies and other materials. It can also characterise the surface elevation, roughness, and radar reflectivity of the planet to study the interaction of the atmosphere and solar wind in the red planet’s ionosphere. This technique is also used in radar sounder investigations of subglacial lakes in Antarctica, Canada, and Greenland.
Also Read: The story of life on Mars through rovers
It is thought that any underground lakes on Mars must have a reasonably high salt content for the water to remain in liquid form. This could be a reason to not support any microbial life forms. “Lakes with a salt content that is about five times that of sea-water can support life, but as the concentration approaches 20 times that of sea-water, life is no longer present,” says John Priscu, an environmental scientist at Montana State University in Bozeman.
The presence of Martian pools is still a heated debate. While the recent finding supported the 2018 observation with more data, several researchers have also raised concerns such as the lack of an adequate heat source to turn the ice into water. Mike Sori, a planetary geophysicist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, for instance, says, “If the bright material is liquid water, I think it’s more likely to represent some sort of slush or sludge.”
What other findings do you expect from Mars? Do tell us in the comments below.
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Comments
Sneha
August 28, 2021
It was super cool. And I enjoyed reading such an interesting article.
Chaitanya Jadhav
August 27, 2021
Wow! That’s great .What a amazing.
Thanks for the information
Madhusri
August 11, 2021
It is so amazing ???
Gayathri .n. manoj
August 7, 2021
It’s amazing ?
Geetika
July 27, 2021
It is very interesting fact
Ananya
July 26, 2021
So nice
Leeya Sara Johnson
July 23, 2021
thank you
i am so interested in planetary science
mudit maan
July 22, 2021
It mean life is sustainable in marsh???
Sohan RaviKumar
July 22, 2021
It is interesting
Fatima Yusuf
July 21, 2021
I love these facts!!
Dhaani Priya
July 21, 2021
Its amazing!!! ??
Namira shaikh
July 21, 2021
It is very interesting fact! I like it?
Niranjana kesavan
July 21, 2021
Thank you for the fun fact !!
Niranjana kesavan
July 21, 2021
WOW !! Lakes in mars !?
S L Yuvanthi
July 21, 2021
Want to live in mars
Shrushti
July 20, 2021
Nice
Trrishan Saha
July 20, 2021
Wow coooooooooooooooooooooooool!
We can see mars from our earth
Bright
There was discovered rust
Hehe
That little planet।।।
C
O
O
L
!
Archita kakati
July 20, 2021
Wow????
Sagar Jagadeesh Bhat
July 19, 2021
Wow ??? .It’s amazing . Thank for the information
Rujuta
July 19, 2021
Wow
It give me very important knowledge
Thanks
Aman Krishna
July 19, 2021
Excellent
saish
July 18, 2021
Earlier studies hinted that Mars’ low gravity let water escape into space. But years later, a new theory dismissed that assumption.
venkatesh raj verma
July 18, 2021
I am an astrofiles , thank’s for giving this awesome information
Parth Sharadchandra Parbhane
July 18, 2021
This information is very useful for develop our general knowledge. ? ?
Saumya
July 17, 2021
Very nice information for me I also wanna become an astronaut I also wanna know more and more about plants.Thanks.
Gurleen
July 17, 2021
Amazin!!..Marvellous!!!
In this way if oxygen and soil suitable for plants may lead to some chances to move to Mars and appropriate heat
#proud to be byjuite!!
Thanks Byjus
Pragya
July 17, 2021
Hi! I am interested in the planetary science,
And about Mars planet I can say that it would be like our earth in past time!
Mars is a planet with earth structure so that we can expect that there can be life support with unbelievable creatures who live on Mars!
It’s reddish colour makes the Martian sky looks pink!
It had masses like mountain and holes created by asteroid.
The reason behind why I know much about Mars, my favourite planet near earth
Siddhartha Verma
July 17, 2021
Coool!!! I really hope that more such ponds and perhaps lifeforms are found on Mars!!!?
Adrij Sil
July 16, 2021
wow!
Jiya Gadhavi
July 16, 2021
Wow , it’s amazing
Shriram g gouda
July 16, 2021
My best planet is the earth because we live in the earth and only planet which consist of the life and it has all the features to protect us, and our planet earth is not hot or no colder than the Neptune and it also protect from the harmful rays of the sun,it as capability to do all thing and any planet of unvirese dos’n support life
Shukla Miral
July 16, 2021
It’s awesome ! I love to explore things on space and this information l liked the most!!!
Thank you!!
Kakku Veeran
July 16, 2021
Very so lucky I will take this kind of information I very stay another how is your true is topic very very good I am more than
Suman
July 16, 2021
Very nice
Vishnu priya
July 16, 2021
Wow!Thank you byju’s for posting this article ???
Shivashree iyer
July 16, 2021
Really a great information… I love to learn about space, stars ,motion and the whole universe…… … I am soo keen to learn more about it…..
Daksha.M
July 15, 2021
Amazing
Yashashree ravikiran palwe
July 15, 2021
Wow….! Super cool
Himika Bhakta
July 15, 2021
I have been waiting for this discovery in like forever!
Thankyou Byju’s
Aaradhya
July 15, 2021
So nice ? Thanks for the information
Ayushi
July 15, 2021
Wow That’s so cool?! Discovery of Water in Mars ? But can you give some researches about Galaxies also ??
Shachi sukirti
July 15, 2021
wow ?. I really amazing to know about Mars.
I want to know more about planet and galaxies
Fahad
July 15, 2021
Wow! It’s amazing
Akshat Aryan
July 15, 2021
Cool article
Angel
July 15, 2021
Amazing! I was actually surprised after reading this news. As Mars have 2 natural satellite(like moon ) I wonder if there would be Purnima(full moon day) they would see both the moons complete after many years and would be an big event for the planet.
??
Ishmam Mehnaz
July 15, 2021
Wow . Water on another planet
Veeksha Chatakonda
July 15, 2021
Can you make an article on galaxies or nebulas? I LOVE NEBULAS
Veeksha Chatakonda
July 15, 2021
Wow! really? I was amused with “water on mars”
Payal Jagtap .
July 15, 2021
That’s great ?…..
I love science very much …
Thanks for the information ? .
Aditri Dev Pandey
July 15, 2021
Wow! That’s supercool and amazing
Very informative
Swarnim Sharma
July 15, 2021
Love the topic. But I want to raise a question that if we discoverd every thing about Mars and opens up all the mistery so how we whole humans on earth will reach to the Mars………
Please answer my question…..
Swarnim Sharma
July 15, 2021
Love the topic. I want to ask if we discovered all the things about Mars and opens up all the mystery from it. Hoes would we reach there? I means the whole humans……
Please tell the answer
Arpita Naik
July 15, 2021
It’s an interesting fact….
SOMYAPRAVA DAS
July 15, 2021
Wow! so amazing!
Manya s o
July 15, 2021
1) When water interacts with rock, chemical weathering form clays and other hydrous mineral that contain water as part of their mineral structure. This process occurs on earth as well as on Mars. Mars however, is mostly tectonically inactive, and so the “drying” of the surface,once it occurs,is parmanent..
2) OMEGA detects mineral on the surface of Mars. Three in particular reveal the history of Martian water…… That suggested water flowed during the first few hundred million years of the planet’s history only. When these bodies of water were lost, water then occasionally burst from inside the planet but quickly evaporated.
3) MARSIS is a subsurface radar sounder with a 40- meter (130- foot) antenna on the Mars express orbiter that will search for water and study the atmosphere.
Adrij Sil
July 15, 2021
I am so exited now,for the question ” DO MARS HAVE LIFE ” ?
Saiansh khurana
July 14, 2021
What!!!!! Realy???!!!
Alina Khan
July 14, 2021
Thankyou for the information.I love to study about solar system and it’s planets.And I also loved that gif which explains the water is salty
Anumegha Khanra
July 14, 2021
wow. That is amazing. Maybe in the future, we can live on Mars.
Alleezbath
July 14, 2021
I have a new title –
BREAKING NEWS
Water is found on the mars . Yaaaaa
Sampurnna Dutta
July 14, 2021
Thank you for this information, l am interested for this plant.
Arpita Naik
July 14, 2021
I like it
Himanshu
July 14, 2021
I am surprised to know this.
Ditipriya Roychowdhury
July 14, 2021
Woww!!!! Universal solvent on the red planet !!!!
#ScienceonMars
Diya Nair
July 14, 2021
That was really cool and amazing information ?
Rohith. R
July 14, 2021
Scientists have researching the mars since many years. We know that There is no support life. But now we started knowing about Mars slowly. It was a great discovery. We are reaching the goal slowly. Its amazing!. And also thank for byju’s to giving interesting facts.
Manasa.R.K
July 14, 2021
Cool!! Water in MARs, maybe we can live there ( if there is gravity ) after earth is destroyed
Devashish Mishra
July 14, 2021
It’s an amazing news
JatinChouhan
July 14, 2021
various types of soils ,they do not discovered in earth.
Sreyasi
July 14, 2021
Hey,it was amazing I am very curious after reading it I want to go on Mars planet
@BYJUS
Nandika
July 14, 2021
Thank you for this information ?♀️
I love studying about the space and this information has been added to my list of fun facts and discovies
Keep sending such discovies with us.
Thanks again
Regards
Nandika
Jyotismita Majumdar
July 14, 2021
So nice
Sana
June 27, 2021
Wow!! It’s an interesting fact….I really surprised..
Shawaiz
June 19, 2021
I was amazing about the discovery of water in Mars
Akankshya p. Swain
June 16, 2021
In this planet no one leave and i can say this with much sure because it is reddish in colour means it is made up of dust , hydrogen and helium.Not only this planet but the other planets are also made up of hydrogen and helium.
SARTHAK JADHAV
June 9, 2021
NICE ARTICLE BUT CAN YOU MAKE AN ARTICLE ABOUT GALAXY BECAUSE IWANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT GALAXIES! ??
Mitali
May 31, 2021
Hi! I am interested in the planetary science,
And about Mars planet I can say that it would be like our earth in past time!
Mars is a planet with earth structure so that we can expect that there can be life support with unbelievable creatures who live on Mars!
It’s reddish colour makes the Martian sky looks pink!
It had masses like mountain and holes created by asteroid.
The reason behind why I know much about Mars, my favourite planet near earth!
Abhinav Kumar
May 31, 2021
Very informative ?.
Thank you for the informationʘ‿ʘ.
Shruti Jha
May 30, 2021
It’s fascinating! But how does MARSIS help in locating water?
Arijeet
May 28, 2021
Wow! That’s super cool and amazing! Discovery of Water in Mars!
Aishwarya Sinha
May 22, 2021
Goood