PON Potenziamento del Sardinia Radio Telescope
Linee di Ricerca Scientifica
Linee di Ricerca Tecnologica
Opportunità di lavoro
Pubblicazioni e Rapporti interni
Servizi
PROGETTI
Ricercatori in Visita
Seminari a OAC
Amministrazione
Cerimonia Inaugurale SRT
Eventi
Radar evidence of subglacial liquid water on Mars
Image credits: Davide Coero Borga
The presence of liquid water at the base of the Martian polar caps has long been suspected but not observed. We surveyed the Planum Australe region using the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding, a low-frequency radar on the Mars Express spacecraft. Radar profiles collected between May 2012 and December 2015, contain evidence of liquid water trapped below the ice of the South Polar Layered Deposits. Anomalously bright subsurface reflections were found within a well-defined, 20km wide zone centered at 193°E, 81°S, surrounded by much less reflective areas. Quantitative analysis of the radar signals shows that this bright feature has high dielectric permittivity >15, matching water-bearing materials. We interpret this feature as a stable body of liquid water on Mars.