Winter Wonderland: Ice Crater Discovered on Mars Seems Like a Perfect Place for Ice-Skating
The Korolev crater on Mars is a ice-filled crater that spans across 82 kilometres, and remains frozen permanently, owing to the cold trap phenomenon, and resembles an ice rink.
The Korolev crater on Mars is a ice-filled crater that spans across 82 kilometres, and remains frozen permanently, owing to the cold trap phenomenon, and resembles an ice rink.
While snow is something you just grow up associating with winter, it isn't something limited to just the Earth. A crater on Mars, which is covered with ice, is becoming a quick fan favorite as people are sharing how they want to 'skate there.'
The Korolev is an ice-filled impact crater in Mars, which spans 81.4 kilometers in diameter and contains about 2,200 cubic kilometers of water ice. A photo of this crater taken by the European Space Agency showed just how scenic the spot actually is.
Take a look.
A beautiful #winter wonderland... on #Mars! This ice-filled crater was imaged by our Mars Express spacecraft. Korolev crater is 82 kilometres across and found in the northern lowlands of Mars.
— ESA (@esa) December 20, 2018
More images: https://t.co/48Czjh80Qb pic.twitter.com/5KDQ1PJ0jt
While this crater may be on Mars, people see it as a potential ice-skating rink. And if you just imagine a few skaters on the crater, we could see it too.
— Lucy Hannaford (@LucyHannaford1) December 20, 2018
Nice big ice skating rink.
— Christopher Allan (@CDAXY) December 20, 2018
Ice skating with 1/3rd earth gravity under a pink sky... I hope it happens before we die :)
— FranckJuanMichele (@fdesb) December 20, 2018
Sweet. Ice skating on Mars! Think of the leaps and quadruple triple salchows or whatever! They could get a lot of lift.
— 11CatsAgainstNazis&1ConfusedKitteh (@landis_melinda) December 20, 2018
Oh yeah! On Mars you only weigh 38% as much as you do on Earth. You could really jump and twirl.
— Chris Hogan (@Hogan698) December 20, 2018
The worst news: @DownHereOnEarth says I couldn't ice skate on this ever-present frozen pond on Mars because of physics https://t.co/ekgAfJVfVr
— Chelsea Whyte (@chelswhyte) December 20, 2018
Why is no rover targeting one of these locations? Look at all that water ice. You think this would be the first place we'd land on Mars. https://t.co/92W6gO2Itf
— Jonathan O’Callaghan (@Astro_Jonny) December 20, 2018
Every Doctor Who writer just pumped their fists. https://t.co/uvI98pHpjW
— Finding (((God))) in a (((Dog))) (@maxomai) December 20, 2018
The "ice-skating rink" isn't a seasonal phenomenon, though. On Mars, the crater covered in ice exists all-year round. This is primarily owing to a phenomenon called 'Cold Trap.'
´cold trap’ phenomenon on #Mars .The domed ice forms a glacier comprising 2200 cubic kilometres of non-polar ice on Mars. About 50 times the volume of Lake Constance & is comparable in size to the Canadian Great Bear Lake #space #spaceexploration #geomorphology #geomorphologie https://t.co/hiWgO4Gtn9
— ahenk75 (@ahenk75) December 20, 2018
And while ice skating may be a possibility, the fact that these images exist itself is somewhat of a stunning miracle.
I will never not be blown away by the fact that we now get to see beautiful images from another planet.
— Shannon Benjamin (@CakeOSaurusRex) December 20, 2018
The best of us are capable of wonders, please stay curious. https://t.co/ocKiNW8LIg