Mars' watery reflections Tag

Astronomers explain mars' watery reflections Cornell astronomers believe bright reflections beneath the surface of Mars' South Pole are not necessarily evidence of liquid water, but instead geological layers. Researchers detail their alternative explanation in Nature Astronomy. "On Earth, reflections that bright are often an indication of liquid water, even buried lakes like Lake Vostok," said Dan Lalich, research associate. "But on Mars, the prevailing opinion was that it should be too cold for similar lakes to form." But the fact remains, Lalich said, that the bright reflection exists and requires an explanation. Lalich created simulations with layers composed of four materials -- atmosphere, water ice, carbon dioxide (CO2) ice and basalt -- and assigned each layer a corresponding permittivity, an intrinsic property of the material describing...