NASA scientists who study Mars were pleasantly surprised when they realized the impact of a meteorite on the red planet.
The phenomenon was recorded on December 24, 2021, when the impact caused magnitude 4 bumps on the Martian surface, detected thanks to the Insight spacecraft and its seismometer, which landed on Mars nearly four years ago, about 3,500 km from the site of the event. impact.
The origin of this Martian tremor was only confirmed when the probe called the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), in orbit around the planet, captured images of the newly formed crater, less than 24 hours later.
The image shows blocks of ice that have been projected onto the surface and a crater about 150 meters in diameter and 20 meters deep, the largest ever seen since MRO began operations 16 years ago.
While meteorite impacts are not uncommon on Mars, “we would never have thought of seeing something this big,” Ingrid Daubar, from the Insight mission team and the MRO, told a news conference on Thursday.
The researchers estimate that the meteorite must have been 12 meters – on Earth, it would have disintegrated in the atmosphere. “It’s simply the biggest meteorite impact on the surface ever heard since science has used seismographs or seismometers,” explained to AFP the professor of planetology Philippe Lognonné, who participated in two studies resulting from these observations published this Thursday (27) in the journal Science. .
NASA also released an audio recording of the earthquake, obtained by accelerating the vibrations captured by the seismograph to make them audible.
The presence of ice, in particular, was described as surprising by Ingrid Daubar. “It’s the hottest spot on Mars, the closest to the equator where ice has ever been seen.” It is also of scientific interest for studying the Martian climate, as the presence of ice at this latitude could be very useful for future explorers, said Lori Glaze, NASA’s director of planetary science.
The information collected should allow us to refine our knowledge of the interior of Mars and the history of its formation.
In total, the Insight spacecraft has detected more than 1,300 tremors on Mars, some of them caused by smaller meteorites, and the data collected will be used by scientists around the world for many years to come.
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