00:00This is Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system, however it's not on
00:09Earth.
00:10This massive volcano is on the surface of Mars, and it's at the center of a recent
00:14landmark discovery.
00:16Astronomers say they have just observed frost forming on the peak of the giant shield volcano
00:19for the first time ever.
00:21Experts have long believed that Mars had an active albeit limited water cycle, with around
00:25150,000 tons of water going between the atmosphere and the surface every day.
00:31Of course, we're not talking about rain like on Earth.
00:33Instead, on Mars, that cycle commonly consists of giant blocks of carbon dioxide forming
00:37when night falls, during the winter months, similar to dry ice.
00:41When it warms up again, that ice turns directly back into a gas, and diffuses into the atmosphere
00:46once again.
00:47However, there is also water ice present on Mars, and experts believe the recent frost
00:51dustings on Mars' Tharsis volcanoes is that.
00:54They say the frost layer is only around the width of a human hair, but the amount of land
00:58area it covers means it is not an insignificant amount.
01:01This is the first time that water frost has been observed this close to the Red Planet's
01:05equator, something previously believed highly improbable.
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