New Mars Gravity Map Gives Best View Yet Inside the Red Planet

Advertisement
By Indo-Asian News Service | Updated: 22 March 2016 11:48 IST
New Mars Gravity Map Gives Best View Yet Inside the Red Planet
Researchers have developed a new map of Mars' gravity with three Nasa spacecraft that is the most detailed to date, providing a revealing glimpse into the hidden interior of the Red Planet.

"Gravity maps allow us to see inside a planet, just as a doctor uses an X-ray to see inside a patient," said Antonio Genova from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The new gravity map will be helpful for future Mars exploration, because better knowledge of the planet's gravity anomalies helps mission controllers insert spacecraft more precisely into orbit about Mars.

"Furthermore, the improved resolution of our gravity map will help us understand the still-mysterious formation of specific regions of the planet," Genova added.

The improved resolution of the new gravity map suggests a new explanation for how some features formed across the boundary that divides the relatively smooth northern lowlands from heavily cratered southern highlands.

Advertisement

Also, the team confirmed that Mars has a liquid outer core of molten rock by analysing tides in the Martian crust and mantle caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and the two moons of Mars.

Finally, by observing how Mars' gravity changed over 11 years - the period of an entire cycle of solar activity - the team inferred the massive amount of carbon dioxide that freezes out of the atmosphere onto a Martian polar ice cap when it experiences winter.

Advertisement

They also observed how that mass moves between the south pole and the north pole with the change of season in each hemisphere.

The map was derived using data collected by Nasa's Deep Space Network from three Nasa spacecraft in orbit around Mars: Mars Global Surveyor (MGS), Mars Odyssey (ODY), and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).

Advertisement

Like all planets, Mars is lumpy, which causes the gravitational pull felt by spacecraft in orbit around it to change.

For example, the pull will be a bit stronger over a mountain, and slightly weaker over a canyon.

The gravity field was recovered using about 16 years of data that were continuously collected in orbit around Mars.

"With this new map, we've been able to see gravity anomalies as small as about 100 kms across and we've determined the crustal thickness of Mars with a resolution of around 120 kms," said Genova in a paper published in the journal Icarus.

The better resolution of the new map helps interpret how the crust of the planet changed over Mars' history in many regions.

 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Mars, Mars Orbiter, Nasa, Science, Space
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Vivo X200 FE Global Launch Confirmed; Design Teased
  2. Vivo Y400 Pro 5G India Launch Date Confirmed; Design Revealed
  3. Poco F7 Launch Date, Price in India, Design and Key Features Leaked Online
  4. OnePlus Nord 5 Series, OnePlus Buds 4 to Launch in India on This Date
  5. Oppo K13x 5G India Launch Date, Price Range and Key Features Revealed
  6. Hisense U7Q Mini-LED TV Launched in India With These Features
  7. Oppo Reno 14 5G Series, Watch X2 Mini, Enco Buds 3, Pad SE to Launch Globally
  8. Tecno Pova 7 5G Series Confirmed to Launch in India Soon
  9. Realme Narzo 80 Lite 5G Launched in India With 6,000mAh Battery: See Price
  10. Vivo T4 Lite 5G to Launch in India Soon; Battery Capacity Revealed
  1. Bitget Partners UNICEF Unit to Expand Blockchain Training Across India, Other Countries 
  2. WhatsApp Reportedly Working on Ability to Scan Documents on Android Smartphones
  3. ElevenLabs Expands Eleven V3 Text-to-Speech Model With Support for 41 New Languages
  4. Vivo T4 Lite 5G India Launch Confirmed; Battery Capacity, Price Range Teased
  5. TikTok Pushes Deeper Into AI-Generated Video Ads With New Tools
  6. Apple Risks Fresh EU Charge Sheet Over App Store Curbs
  7. The Witcher 4 Will Target 60 FPS on Consoles, but Series S Will Be 'Extremely Challenging' Says CD Projekt Red
  8. Oppo Reno 14 5G Series Global Launch Teased Alongside Watch X2 Mini, Enco Buds 3 and Pad SE
  9. Microsoft Begins Testing AI Agents in Windows 11, Brings Option to Share Recall Snapshots in Europe
  10. watchOS 26 to Bring Control Center Customisation Options with User-Defined Toggles
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.