A European satellite sent photos of an ice crater from Mars

On its way around Mars, the Express satellite took photos of the Korolev Crater, which is over 80 kilometers wide and filled with ice.

This crater is interesting not only because it represents well-preserved evidence of a collision of celestial bodies that once occurred, but also because it is filled with ice over a kilometer thick throughout the year.

This is precisely why it became the object of interest of the Mars Express satellite, which the European Space Agency launched 15 years ago, to focus on the ice and glaciers of the Red Planet.

The ice from the Korolev crater is resistant to melting because the temperature does not rise even during the warmer parts of the year, and the massive ice plain is a so-called "ice trap". This means that the atmospheric gases that pass over the ice cool, and then descend lower and thus form a cold shield that prevents melting, writes Mashable, reports PC press.

Mars Express is in charge of photographing different parts of the planet, and sending photos to Earth, from which scientists form a more complete picture. Thus, the photos of the Korolev crater are composed of five shots, each of which was taken at a different time.