Image Credit: NASA, JPL, U. Arizona
Explanation:
What created this unusual hole in Mars? The hole was discovered by chance in
2011 on images of the dusty slopes of Mars' Pavonis Mons volcano taken by the
HiRISE instrument aboard the robotic Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter currently
circling Mars. The hole appears to be an opening to an underground cavern,
partly illuminated on the image right. Analysis of this and follow-up images
revealed the opening to be about 35 meters across, while the interior shadow
angle indicates that the underlying cavern is roughly 20 meters deep. Why there
is a circular crater surrounding this hole remains a topic of speculation, as
is the full extent of the underlying cavern. Holes such as this are of
particular interest because their interior caves are relatively protected from
the harsh surface of Mars, making them relatively good candidates to contain
Martian life. These pits are therefore prime targets for possible future
spacecraft, robots, and even human interplanetary explorers.
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