Spring Has Sprung on Mars: Geysers, Dust & Other Celestial Shenanigans

Spring: A season that fills our hearts with joy, our noses with pollen, and in the case of the South Polar region of Mars, our imaginations with geysers of gas and dust!

That’s right, folks, while we’re out here shopping for garden tools and sneezing at the thought of our allergies, our trusty red planet is putting on a show worthy of the biggest drama club awards.

In a phenomenon that would make any budding Victorian poet weep with joy, springtime on Mars is an absolute spectacle. Picture it: a thick blanket of carbon dioxide ice, snuggled in for the long Martian winter, starting to have a little existential crisis as the sun returns. You know, it’s like that moment when you wake up after a long winter and suddenly realize you’re still wearing your onesie—time to shed that heavy layer and embrace the warmth!

As the sun climbs higher, those frosty layers of carbon dioxide ice begin to turn into vapors faster than a toddler can escape their mother’s grasp. Somewhere beneath the surface, the excitement is building, much like your Aunt Martha at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Sunlight penetrates the transparent ice, warming it up like a cup of cocoa on a chilly evening. After all, nothing says “happy spring” quite like a little sublimation action.

Things are about to get thrilling. As this warming proceeds—cue the dramatic music—the gas trapped within starts to bubble and boil as if it were in a classic horror flick. But instead of a creepy doll slowly moving on its own, we get magnificent geysers of gas and dust shooting up into the Martian atmosphere! Forget Old Faithful; Mars is here to steal the show with explosive geophysical activity that makes a Fourth of July firework display look like a birthday candle.

Oh, those geysers! Just think about it—gouts of gas and cloud of dust hurling themselves skyward, all in a raucous celebration of spring. It’s Mars’ way of saying “Look at me!” reminding us that while we’re out planting tulips, it’s busy crafting its own extraterrestrial version of a spring festival—no need for marching bands or cotton candy stands when you have gas geysers!

But let’s be honest once again. If Mars were a person (which you can totally imagine wearing a plaid summer shirt, plaid shorts, and flip-flops), it would be the quirky neighbor who keeps setting off fireworks for no reason while wearing sunglasses. And every spring, like clockwork, it stages this wild, crazy natural event. Who knew that beneath all that Martian dust and rocks, it had such a flair for the dramatic?

So here’s to the South Polar region of Mars and its springtime transformation! While we’re busy battling allergies, contemplating lawn care, or mourning the loss of our winter coats, we can take a moment to appreciate that across the cosmos, the red planet is gearing up for its own brand of springtime ruckus. Perhaps we should all take a page out of Mars’ book: when winter leaves, it’s time to let loose and unleash your inner geyser! Cheers to that!

Image via NASA https://ift.tt/jsnul1N