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A stunning new image reveals an icy blue crater on the Red Planet

Prepare your eyes for visual pleasure straight from our neighboring planet Mars. A new image of the Red Planet, taken by NASA, shows the southern crater of the planet in great detail – as we have never seen before.

The image showing frost on the surface of Mars was taken by a high-resolution scientific experiment (HiRISE) aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), NASA said in a statement.

See the image below

NASA

Mars has very cold winters

Let’s be very clear – Mars is a cold (and supposedly lifeless) planet. In winter, polar temperatures can drop to -125 degrees Celsius (-195 F). The frost you see forming on the crater is a product of this cold. What we call dry ice on Earth is what you see on a Martian crater made of carbon dioxide.

NASA

Winters on Mars last at least four months. In the middle of this frost often begins to spread across the planet, melting from the sun’s rays.

Also read: The speed of sound on Mars is so slow that human speech would be distorted

In the HiRISE photo we see the southern hemisphere of Mars in the middle of winter. The mesmerizing crater is located near 37 degrees south latitude. In the improved color image, the freezing of carbon dioxide appears with a blue tinge.

NASA

The gutters you see on the crater are made of debris that passes through the crater during the warmer months of Mars. Keep in mind, however, that this dry ice should not be touched. This would immediately cause frostbite among the people.

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What do you think of this stunning view of Mars? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.