From H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds to the Marvin the Martian, the planet Mars has always been a favorite for people to speculate and let imaginations run wild. Of all the planets, Mars alone is the one that many scientists still consider capable of supporting some form of life. Could this supposed life include vegetation and, more specifically, trees?
For some, that's a very real question that needs to be answered, especially in light of some new NASA photographs of the Martian surface that seems to show trees growing on the red-colored surface of the planet. Not exactly what one thinks of upon hearing the word "aliens." The idea of trees on Mars is now new, but the new photos show the supposed trees in stunning detail that was impossible in the past, leading to renewed speculation.
Unfortunately, NASA scientist have a more down to Earth, or to phrase it more appropriately, a more down to Mars explanation.
The “trees” are actually black basaltic sand that has been pushed to the planet's surface by the sun's heat. When the sun's rays strike and warm the planet, ice below the surface sublimates. The sudden force of the air then pushes sand that was below the surface to the top of the dunes. Some of this sand is black. Once on the top of the dune, some of the sand slides down, giving the tree-like appearance.
As for the standing appearance, according to NASA, it's an optical illusion, just the latest of many that Mars has produced over the years, including the famous face.
Now for some real Mars news, the planet will be coming to opposition on January 27. This is good for astronomers, pro and amateur, for three reasons: the planet will closest to Earth at this time, it will be at its brightest, and it will be an all night object, rising and setting opposite the sun.
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