Watch: Massive ice lake on Mars north pole is breathtaking

New Delhi : Looking for something totally awesome and out of this world? Well, the scientists have managed to click a picture of ice lake on Mars north pole and it is simply breathtaking in all means.

The massive chunk of ice measures 50 miles wide and stretches over a mile into the crater itself. On our planet, it would be of a lake's size, but on the red planet, it is reduced to disk size.

The incredible ice lake has been captured by the European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter. The spacecraft is equipped with a high-resolution camera that allows it to send back some pretty stunning images.

While the picture was clicked months back, the agency went a step further and curated them to make a video of a virtual “flyover” of the crater. The video improvised the understanding of size and scale of the ice lake. It has given a clear hope that the red planet may have an atmosphere.

Located in the northern lowlands of the Red Planet, south of the large Olympia Undae dune field that partly surrounds Mars’ north polar cap, this well-preserved impact crater is filled with water ice all year round. The crater’s floor lies two kilometres below its rim, enclosing a 1.8 km thick domed deposit that represents a large reservoir of non-polar ice on Mars.

Water ice is permanently stable within Korolev crater because the deepest part of this depression acts as a natural cold trap. The air above the ice cools and is thus heavier compared to the surrounding air: since air is a poor conductor of heat, the water ice mound is effectively shielded from heating and sublimation.