We have mentioned and written about the moving Martian stones more than once, and this is a completely fresh fact. The image, transmitted recently by the automated station Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), now in Martian orbit, puzzled experts.
A very strange object hit the lens of the HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) camera, which NASA and the University of Arizona are responsible for. He was clearly moving across the surface of the Red Planet. Specifically in the area called Nili Fossae with coordinates 22 ° N, 75 ° E, next to which there is a rather large crater.
Apparently, the item is a cobblestone. A very large cobblestone - over 20 meters in diameter. And even larger. It rolled, leaving a trail - a very deep furrow. At least it can be seen from orbit.
Photo: NASA
Why did the cobblestone roll? This question is being asked by researcher Phil Plait, who runs the Bad Astronomy blog on NewScientist. And he does not find an intelligible answer. The slope, which was plowed by the cobblestone, is not at all steep - the entire Nili Fossae area is raised above the surface by only 600 meters. And what could make such an impressive stone move? Marsquake? Meteor impact? Blown away? Was it washed away? Set off on your own like an idol from Easter Island?
NASA is silent about this
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Phil himself draws attention to something else strange. If you enlarge the photo of the furrow, then you can see that it is intermittent. As if a cobblestone was rolling, from stopping to rest. And at the same time it moved at equal intervals.
Will the object continue to move? Only NASA can clarify this by taking pictures of the area of interest after a while.
Photo: NASA
By the way, experts believe that Nili Fossae is rich in clay deposits, which indicate that there was water in the past. Initially, it was supposed to land a Curiosity rover here. But in the end, he was sent to Gale Crater, which seemed more attractive. It's a pity, however. Now we would have figured out why the Martian cobblestones do not sit still. After all, this, it seems, is not the only one - "non-lying stone".
Suburban train
The furrow and the object that left it were noticed in a picture from Mars by the famous American explorer Joseph P. Skipper (Investigator) - a virtual archaeologist who "conducts excavations" on other planets, looking for obvious anomalies. To find these he was helped by the Internet resource Google Mars, the photos for which were supplied by various devices that were in the orbit of the Red Planet.
The furrow is also intermittent. Despite its obvious resemblance to the tracks in the Nili Fossae area, Skipper believes that some kind of transport system, similar to either a railroad or a monorail, was caught in the lens.
The "rails" run to Gale Crater, where the Curiosity rover is currently operating. But, alas, about 900 kilometers to them.
The most amazing thing is that the "archaeologist" discovered not only the "railway", but also a probable means of transportation along it. A rectangular object located directly on the "rails" is clearly visible. By the way, it casts a shadow that looks like the object itself is floating above the surface. Railway carriage? Or is it a large cobblestone?
A wagon-like object hovering over the rails. The "rails" are also intermittent.
Photo: NASA
The "Transportation System" is located 900 kilometers from Gale Crater
Photo: NASA
It is naive, of course, to think that trains travel across Mars. But how to explain the fact that the furrow stretches in both directions from this cobblestone? Did he ride back and forth? And why such a strange shadow?
The local yeti is tired
Not calm even in Gale Crater itself. In an enlarged image, which was taken by the MRO probe from an altitude of 275 kilometers, enthusiasts examined a certain vertical object that casts a shadow. And behind it is a chain of prints. Moving cobblestone again?
If you do not think about the cobblestones, then you can imagine that the object is a living creature, and the prints are the traces that it left. The chain of footprints is winding. As if the creature was walking, wagging. Wearily.
Photo: NASA
If you look very closely and for a long time, it will seem that the creature has a head, shoulders and legs.
Experts at the University of Arizona do not comment on the discovery of life on Mars in general and a bipedal creature in particular. But they indicate that the resolution of the image is 25 centimeters per pixel. This means that objects smaller than a meter can be distinguished. More precisely - 83 centimeters across.
It turns out that the creature is about 4 meters tall. We have on Earth - of the two-legged - only about such "snowmen". Or the yeti, as they are also called. Ours, of course, are smaller - they do not reach above 3 meters. But on Mars they can - there the force of gravity is less.
Photo: NASA
Continuing to fantasize about life on Mars, you can see another chain of footprints - it is slightly higher. And the tracks themselves are much larger. And the "step" is wider. As if some Martian elephant was walking here.
AT THIS TIME
And it's the same on the moon
The image with a rock crawling on the Moon was transmitted to Earth by a probe, which is now in lunar orbit (NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera -LROC). This has never been seen before on our satellite.
When did the cobblestone travel? It seems that the other day - the traces look very clear. Experts at the University of Arizona, however, believe that something disturbed him … millions of years ago. They made out small craters, which in some places "clogged" the trail of the cobblestone. And this indicates that the event happened a long time ago.
Photo: NASA
Experts cannot say for sure, but they believe that the trail was left 50 to 100 million years ago. But no more. Otherwise, it would have already been erased under the influence of the solar wind.
The diameter of the cobblestone at the university is estimated at 9 meters.
PROBABLE CAUSE
The devil is real power
Some experts sin on devils - the Martian dust devils. This is the name of the vortices that rush along the surface of the Red Planet. These alien "brothers" of terrestrial tornadoes, surprisingly, are not so rare guests in the local very rarefied atmosphere. Why they appear is still not clear. Perhaps the paltry Martian pressure is enough to swirl dust or snow with the devils. Or perhaps electrostatic forces are involved in the "damn" process. But devils are really powerful. And it is possible that they are able to move objects along the surface.
Photo: NASA
Last year, for example, MRO photographed a giant vortex. Its serpentine pillar was 780 meters high and 30 meters thick. Was running at a speed of over 100 kilometers per hour.
But what moves the boulders on the moon, where there is no atmosphere at all? While this is a mystery.