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Credit: Conrad
Jung
For a long time after the telescope was invented,
astronomers’ view of Mars was of a simple orange disk, not
even as detailed as in this picture. As more powerful
telescopes were built, Mars’ surface features began to give
hints about the nature of the planet. The light and dark
markings, originally thought to be dry land and seas, are
today known to be smooth plains and rough highlands. The
hint of a white smudge turned out to be a polar ice cap
similar to Earth’s.
Credit: Eric Cook 
Credit: Conrad Jung |
