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S26E84: Milestone Orbits // Martian Meltwater // Earth's Water Origins and More

SpaceTime: Your Guide to Space & Astronomy

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The Origins of Earth's Water

Scientists have discovered gullies on Mars that look like they may have been formed by recent liquid meltwater. The findings reported in the journal Science offer new insights into how water from melting ice could have played a role in the formation of ravine-like channels That cut down the sides of impact craters on Mars. They found that when Mars torts on its axis to 35 degrees, the atmosphere becomes dense enough for brief episodes of melting to occur at gully locations. This has happened repeatedly over the past several million years, with the most recent occurrence about 630,000 years ago. Scientists are convinced their theory is accurate because they've seen these similar features firsthand in Antarctica. There, despite cold

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