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APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
An Unusual Vein of Deposited Rock on Mars
Explanation: What could create this unusual vein of rock on Mars? A leading hypothesis is that this thin rock layer dubbed “Homestake” was deposited by a running liquid -- like most mineral veins are here on Earth. And the running liquid of choice is water. Therefore, this mineral streak -- rich in calcium and sulfur -- is the latest in the growing body of evidence that part of Mars had a watery past. This, in turn, increases the speculation that Mars was once hospitable to life . Pictured above is a vista taken near the western rim of Endeavour Crater by the Opportunity rover currently exploring Mars. The inset image shows a close up of the recently discovered mineral vein.
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| Date | December 12, 2011 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Image Credit: Mars Exploration Rover Mission , NASA , JPL , Cornell ; Image Processing: Kenneth Kremer , Marco Di Lorenzo |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |