The images of a ‘salty purple mermaid’ spotted on the surface of Mars were caught by the European Space Agency (ESA) and later released.
The purple wave was seen shining among the red, brown, and grey waves on the surface of Mars which was captured by the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) of ESA during a flyby in 2022.
The ‘mermaid’ was discovered in a dried-up riverbed in the southern hemisphere of the planet called Terra Sirenum, which is the Latin for ‘Sea of the Sirens’.
“A purplish, scaly wave lures the attention of a European spacecraft as it flies over,” said ESA, in a statement along with the image.
“It is just an optical illusion – there are no mythological mermaids or seas on the Martian world today,” the space agency stated.
The scientists, with the help of the Color and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) of the orbiter, found that the purple anomaly was chloride salt deposits.
The CaSSIS is a high-resolution camera which can capture colour stereo images of the surface features of Mars.
Stereo imaging captures different images of the same surface feature from various angles and helps the software analyse the parallax effect as well as create a detailed 3D model of the terrain.
This helps scientists carry out detailed studies of the topography of the Red Planet and its geological processes from afar.
How are these purple waves formed on the Red Planet?
The scientists identified the chlorine-rich minerals as the source of these purple waves.
The chloride deposits create a purple hue in the colour-infrared images of the TGO which makes CaSSIS a unique tool for studying the distribution of salts across the planet.
Such deposits also indicate that once water was present in abundance on Mars. However, because of the lack of a magnetic field on the planet, the atmosphere on Mars slowly got eroded away and carried most of its water with it.
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After the disappearance of water, mineral deposits have remained as fingerprints of its presence.
“Very salty waters could have become a haven for life, a beacon for habitable places on Mars,” wrote the ESA team, in the statement.
“High concentrations of salt allow water to remain liquid at temperatures as low as –40 ºC. The chloride deposits in this picture and its direct relation to liquid water make areas such as Terra Sirenum good targets for future robotic missions searching for signs of life,” it added.
(With inputs from agencies)
Shambhu Kumar is a science communicator, making complex scientific topics accessible to all. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
