Scientists made the discovery of the century on Mars

Sensational discovery: a giant network of ancient rivers spanning 16,000 kilometers has been found on Mars. The Red Planet turned out to be much "wetter" than previously thought.

A grand system of river beds, over 3 billion years old, was identified thanks to highly detailed images from orbital spacecraft. Scientists discovered both small streams and large-scale river systems forming extensive water networks.

According to researchers, Martian rivers could have been replenished by regular atmospheric precipitation in the form of rain or snow. Particularly surprising was the fact that these water arteries were found in areas where no signs of water presence had previously been recorded.

Graduate student Adam Losekoot emphasized: "This came as a surprise to scientists, as it was believed until now that there was no water in this area. It turns out that water on the planet was distributed extremely unevenly." According to him, local atmospheric precipitation was likely the source of the water.

Of particular interest is the mysterious region of Noachis Terra. Computer models indicate that there should have been significant precipitation here, but there are almost no traces of valleys and channels. This calls into question previous understanding of the climate in this area, reports The Guardian.