Sometimes there are advantages to studying planetary physics beyond Earth. Mars does not have plate tectonics, vegetation, or the level of erosion we do, allowing geological features like those left Keep reading
Tag: Mars
Dust Envelopes Mars
Day has turned into night for NASA’s Opportunity rover as a massive dust storm envelopes Mars. The first signs of the dust storm were reported May 30th, and over the Keep reading
Martian Bees, Canopies, and Dandelion Seeds
The latest FYFD/JFM video is out! May brings us a look at the incredible flight of dandelion seeds, numerical simulations that reveal the flow above forest canopies, and a look Keep reading
Water on Mars
Recurring slope lineae (RSL) are seasonal features on Mars that leave behind gullies similar to those left by running water on Earth. Their discovery a few years ago has prompted Keep reading
The Winds of Mars
The Martian atmosphere is scant compared to Earth’s, but its winds still sculpt and change the surface regularly. The average atmospheric pressure on Mars is only 0.6% of Earth’s, and Keep reading
Gravity Waves on Mars
It may look like grainy, black and white static from a 20th-century television, but this animation shows what may be the first view of gravity waves seen from the ground Keep reading
Martian Ripples
Earth and Mars both feature fields of giant sand dunes. The huge dunes are shaped by the wind and miniature avalanches of sand, and their surface is marked by small Keep reading
Boiling on Mars
Today’s Mars is cold and dry, with a thin and insubstantial atmosphere. One of the challenges facing planetary scientists is unraveling the processes behind the complex terrain we can observe Keep reading
Martian Viscous Flow
These images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show what are called viscous flow features. They are the Martian equivalent of glacial flow. Such features are typically found in Mars’ mid-latitudes. Keep reading
Flowing Water on Mars?
Scientists have known for years that Mars once had liquid water on its surface, and they have many contemporary examples of frozen water ice on the Red Planet. But this Keep reading