Public domain
Dramatic Changes over the South Polar Residual Cap
From the collection of NASA Image and Video Library. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
The South Polar residual cap is composed of carbon dioxide ice that persists through each Martian summer. However, it is constantly changing shape. The slopes get more direct illumination at this polar location, so they warm up and sublimate, going directly from a solid state to a gaseous state. The gas then re-condenses as frost over flat areas, building new layers as the older layers are destroyed.
NASA Image and Video Library’s own descriptionCredit lineDramatic Changes over the South Polar Residual Cap. NASA/JPL, 2018-10-15. Public domain. ID: PIA22729.
