Water on Mars. Image 3 of 4. Illustration of an ancient Mars that had a thicker atmosphere and liquid water. Mars formed around billion years ago.
Water on Mars. Image 3 of 4. Illustration of an ancient Mars that had a thicker atmosphere and liquid water. Mars formed around billion years ago. The young planet would have had enough water to fill an ocean occupying almost half of the northern hemisphere, reaching depths greater than kilometres. Currently, Mars is a rocky desert world with no surface water. The atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide and Martian surface temperatures are well below freezing. Most of the water and atmosphere were lost to space, or locked up underground in deposits of ice. This image is a third of the way through the sequence showing Mars losing its water and becoming a desert world. For the full sequence, see images C045/5978 to C045/5981.
Size: 5154px × 3390px
Photo credit: © The Lunar and Planetary Institute, NASA's MAVEN mission/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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