Âé¶¹´«Ã½

Space

Mars was once a wobbly planet

25 January 2006

MARS was once a wobbly planet. So propose two researchers, who say this explains evidence that glaciers once formed on mountain slopes at the planet’s equator (Science, vol 311, p 368).

The problem was finding a source for the water, given that Mars appears to have been cold and dry for billions of years.

James Head of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and Francis Forget of the Pierre Simon Laplace Institute in Paris say it is possible if Mars, which has moons too small to stabilise it, wobbled along its rotational axis. A 45-degree tilt would point the…

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with Âé¶¹´«Ã½ events and special offers.

Sign up

To continue reading, today with our introductory offers

or

Existing subscribers

Sign in to your account
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop