According to new seismic readings, Mars gets hit by many more meteorites than was suspected. A total of 280 to 360 meteors hit Mars yearly, making craters more than 8 meters wide.
Seismic Data: A New Way to Measure Impact Rates
Scientists from ETH Zurich and Imperial College London used NASA's InSight earthquake data to determine how often meteorites hit Mars. The study, which was co-led by Geraldine Zenhaeusern, found that hits happen five times more often than what orbital images show. Natural Astronomy has released the study.
The seismometer on the InSight rover picked up high-frequency seismic events that were impacted. This helped us learn more about how often impacts happen on Mars.
The study team's trip began in December 2021, a year before the InSight mission was called off because of dust on the solar panels. What the seismometer saw as a big quake was linked to what the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) saw as a huge crater.
More research found smaller meteorite holes, which suggests that many hits cause these high-frequency earthquakes. Researchers found about 80 more quakes that were probably caused by meteoroids by looking at the spectra of these marsquakes.
Natalia Wójcicka, co-leader of the study, says that seismographic data makes it easier to estimate the size of craters and the number of impacts. With this method and orbital shots, you can fully understand how meteorites hit Mars. The results show that Mars has craters 8 meters wide almost every day and 30 meters wide once a month.
Earth and Mars Side by Side
Every year, about 17,000 meteors hit Earth. Most of them break apart in the air. Mars has a 100 times thinner atmosphere than Earth, which makes it more vulnerable to meteors.
Estimating Mars' impact rate required extrapolating from data on the moon and photos taken from orbit. However, these methods were hindered by the planet's frequent sandstorms that hide craters and its closeness to the asteroid belt.
NASA Mars InSight co-Principal Investigator Domenico Giardini says this is the first seismological study to determine how often meteorites hit Mars. This information is very important for planning future tasks, like exploring the universe with people. Hits at high speeds create extensive blast zones, so knowing how often and where they happen helps protect both robotic and human missions.
The rate at which craters form on Mars shows us about its geological past. The number and size of craters show how old an area is; fewer craters mean the surfaces are younger. Seismic data can now be used to determine Mars's old and new regions.
Machine learning will be used in future studies to find more satellite holes and link them to earthquakes. This will help us learn more about Mars's rocks and impact rates. The study helps us learn more about Mars and prepares us for future trips.
The finding that 280 and 360 meteorites hit Mars yearly is a big step forward in studying planets. By estimating impact rates using seismic data, scientists have learned about how Mars' surface changes over time and its geological past.
Future missions will need this knowledge to ensure that both robotic and human explorers on Mars are safe and have a good time. These new ideas will help us determine what Mars hides as we study and explore it.
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