In search of water on Mars – Seasonal dark streaks on the Red Planet

Watch the spring thaw of seasonal dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) on Mars, brought to us by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Related update, September 2015: From The New York Times, “Researchers studying the surface of Mars have noticed thousands of dark streaks appearing on canyon walls and hillsides during Martian summer months. Now they have found definitive evidence of salty liquid water flowing within some of these seasonal streaks.”

A time-lapse animation of Palikir Crater, below, shows how the streaks extend and darken during warmer months on Mars, then gradually fade as temperatures cool.

Read more here at NASA and here from NYT, plus see some beautiful images about RSL (recurring slope lineae):

There’s more Mars and some Europa in the archives. Plus: First Evidence for Water Ice Clouds Found Outside Solar System.