Mars orbiter hears the siren song of a salty Red Planet 'mermaid'

image via Space.com

August 12, 2024, 10:00 AM

• •The purple wave is located in a dried-up riverbed in the planet's southern hemisphere, in a region known as Terra Sirenum — Latin for 'Sea of the Sirens'.
• •The purple anomaly was determined to be chloride salt deposits by the orbiter's Color and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) — a high-resolution camera that captures color stereo images of Mars' surface features.
• •Remaining salt deposits, such as our purple mermaid, may provide evidence for the existence of former Martian life — and are thus a good place for future surface explorers to begin their search.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has released images of a 'salty purple mermaid' on Mars' surface. The purple wave is located in a dried-up riverbed in the planet's southern hemisphere, in a region known as Terra Sirenum. The purple anomaly was determined to be chloride salt deposits by the orbiter's Color and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS). Chlorine-rich minerals were identified as the source of the purple wave. The chloride deposits show up as a distinct purple hue in TGO's color-infrared images, making CaSSIS a unique tool to study the distribution of salts across Mars. These deposits indicate the presence of water, once abundant on Mars.

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