A heat-sensitive camera designed at Arizona State University and flying on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter has led a team of Mars geologists to find seven small, deep holes on the flanks of Arsia Mons, a giant volcano on Mars. The holes may be openings, called skylights, in the ceilings of underground caves. This Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), the instrument used to make the discovery and the only heat-sensing imager currently orbiting Mars, has been photographing Mars at five visual and 10 infrared wavelengths since February 2002.
Temperature data was essential in spotting the potential cave skylights. "We saw that we had dark holes that are warm at night, but cool by day. The best way to explain that is to have a deep hole with vertical walls, so you're looking at a rocky surface free from sand and dust."
Temperature data was essential in spotting the potential cave skylights. "We saw that we had dark holes that are warm at night, but cool by day. The best way to explain that is to have a deep hole with vertical walls, so you're looking at a rocky surface free from sand and dust."
The features the team found are dark, nearly circular holes in the ground with diameters ranging from 100 to 250 meters (yards). The observations have been discussed at meetings with other Mars scientists earlier this year, and they have prompted researchers using Mars Odyssey and NASA's newer Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to search for other openings to underground spaces.
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