New Mars Forums

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Mars' South Pole:  Mystery Solved!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/mysteryof … solved]Two localized climates & two impact craters to blame

Scientists have long wondered why Mars' southern polar cap is offset from its geographical south pole. Now they've solved the mystery...

Weather generated by the two regional climates creates conditions that cause the southern polar ice to freeze out into a cap whose center lies about 93 miles (150 kilometers) from the actual south pole...

The scientists found that the location of two huge craters in the southern hemisphere of Mars is the root cause of the two distinct climates.

*I've got to get offline.  Very short, concise article.  Happy reading!  :band:

Check out the reference to the white fluffy snow and the black ice.

--Cindy

---

We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

Shaun Barrett

Member

From: Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Registered: 2001-12-28

Posts: 2,843

Re: Mars' South Pole:  Mystery Solved!

Fascinating stuff!  :up:   

    [Best advice for future Martian skiing enthusiasts, heading for that powder snow at the South Pole, avoid approaching the ski-resort from the east where the roads are likely to be covered in black ice. Take the SUV around and head in from the west.       ]

---

The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down.   - Rita Rudner