For some planets, the meteorite bombardment never stops. A new analysis of data collected by a seismometer on Mars shows that space rocks are hitting the red planet much more often than we ever suspected. In fact, it looks like Mars is taking a real beating. Based on the number of nearby impact-related tremors detected … Read more
Recent findings from the InSight mission suggest that Mars experiences 280 to 360 significant meteorite impacts per year, far exceeding previous estimates based on satellite images. This seismic approach offers a new way to date the surfaces of Mars and other planets. Credit: NASA/JPL – Caltech Seismic signals indicate Mars is hit by about 300 … Read more
Chassigny meteorite in cross-polarized light – Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego When a meteorite hit Mars eleven million years ago, pieces of the Red Planet flew into space – and some of them landed on Earth in the form of meteorites, providing unprecedented evidence about the planet’s composition. Now scientists at UC … Read more