No, that"s not a new frozen coffee drink from Starbucks; it"s the southern polar ice cap on Mars. Mars is the only other planet in the solar system with visible ice caps, though they differ from Earth’s because the ice caps on Mars consist of both water ice and frozen carbon dioxide. The ice cap looks smooth here, but its surface is pockmarked with swiss-cheese-like depressions caused by the seasonal freezing and melting of the Martian winters and summers. While Mars has been observed by humanity for thousands of years, it was only on August 13, 1672, that Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens observed the ice cap using the most powerful telescope of the day. The giant of science designed the 50x magnification telescope himself, and with his brother, produced the lenses as well.
An ice cap-puccino
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
A temple, preserved
-
Happy holidays!
-
It s Mountain Day in Japan
-
Infrared Jupiter, erupting Io
-
Happy trails for the 21st century
-
National Park Week begins
-
Put your helmet on, we’re going for a hike
-
Bridge of Hillsborough County
-
Crown Fountain by Jume Plensa at Millennium Park in Chicago
-
A city of bridges
-
What a twist
-
In Texas, even the riverbend is big
-
International Day for Biodiversity
-
Monet still makes an impression
-
A good time in the Badlands
-
Birthplace of Roman emperors
-
Dyavolski Most
-
Happy Thanksgiving!
-
The Girl Scouts celebrate 110 years
-
Legacy mural in Philadelphia