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
Today in History
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April Fools Day
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International Day of Peace
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Fin whales: A success story
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St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland
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Back on the rise
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Extraterrestrial Culture Day
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Let us introduce you…
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Does this shark have an Irish accent?
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A triumph of light
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Nursing the world to health
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A Christmas market with a long history
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Taking the scenic route
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Uredd Rest Area, Norway
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Prague, Czech Republic
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Icelandic horses, Iceland
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An unlikely friendship in the wild
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Cetacean Saturday
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Wicker fields in Cañamares, Spain
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Flocking together in the Antarctic
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Summer winds down in the Southern Hemisphere
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Fight for your lefts
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International Whale Shark Day
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