Meteorites Strike Mars Far More Often Than Thought, Probe Finds

Mars is hit by large meteorites creating a 30-metre wide crater once a month, scientists estimate (Credit: AFP)

Mars is bombarded with basketball-sized meteorites on a nearly daily basis, fives times more often than previously estimated, seismic recordings from a NASA spacecraft have revealed.

Before the new study was published on Friday, the best guess for how many meteorites strike Mars was made by looking at images taken by orbiting spacecrafts or models based on craters on the Moon.