Mars Isn’t as Red as You Might Think

Mars is called “The Red Planet” because of the way the surface shows up a rusty color in the images we get from the many NASA probes and expeditions we’ve been lucky to successfully launch.

What if I told you, though, that’s it’s really just the dirt – that the redness of the planet is actually only a few millimeters thick?

The close tie between Mars and the color red is nothing new; in Sanskrit, the word for ‘red’ and ‘Mars’ are literally one and the same. In Egyptian, too, the word for the planet means “red one,” and even with all of the great photographs we have now, all we see is red everywhere we look.

Image Credit: Pexels

The red is likely the result of dust particles in Mars atmosphere, which is much thinner than the one on Earth and allows for greater absorption at short optical wavelengths than at longer ones.

It also allows larger dust particles to scatter longer-wavelength light more efficiently.

The dust on Mars is high in reflectivity, represents bright soil deposits, and is rich in iron – which is to say, it contains large amounts of ferric oxides.

The most common type of dust is made from nano-crystalline red hematite, and is made up of small enough particles that the rapid Martian winds have no trouble sweeping large amounts of it around and even up into the atmosphere.

They also continually sweep over the surface, changing the landscape and features in both color and shape on a regular basis.

Then two scientists, one of whom was Carl Sagan, figured out why – the red layer we see on Mars’ surface is just a thin dusting of, well, dust and sand. It easily travels short distances, moving from higher to lower elevations or staying on like elevations, and is often blown off areas with steeper slopes onto flatter ones, changing the brightness of the color briefly.

The layer of dust that gives Mars its color, then, is only a few millimeters thick – even at its thickest, in the Tharsis region, it’s only around 7 feet deep.

More recent expeditions involving landers and rovers on Mars have proved, of course, that the red of Mars isn’t uniform at all, with much of the planet appearing more orange or even a butterscotch yellow up close and personal, with rocks and other deposits showing up an average brown, tan, or gray upon closer inspection.

Image Credit: iStock

If we could wave a magic wand and calm the planet’s atmosphere for long periods of time that dust would settle, and all of those other colors would be visible across the planet, much the way that blues and greens and whites dominate images of Earth from outer space.

Scientists are still looking to figure out the process by which those red hematite particles form, and in big enough quantities to turn the far away pictures red in the first place.

Which means that Mars will probably forever remain the red planet, because it’s the only color that reaches our eyes.

Until, of course, we have the opportunity to relocate there ourselves. Then, we’ll be able to see all of Mars’ true colors for ourselves.

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Here’s More Proof That Micromanaging Bosses Never Come Out Ahead

If you’re a manager, you already know there are all manner of employees out there. Especially when you’re managing in food service or a minimum-wage industry, your people run the gamut from teens who are learning a first job to people who are willing to do just the bare minimum in order to get that paycheck.

So, when you nab a teenager who is company-minded and willing to stay for the long haul, most managers know to treat that person like the star employee they are.

That’s not what happened in this story, though, which stars a kid who had been working at a pizza place for 5 years, 4 of them in management, and continues on the same way even as he tackles a full University schedule.

Image Credit: Cheezburger

Then one night, he overheard the general manager telling a manager-in-training they could leave early, even though s/he was supposed to close so that OP could leave by midnight and make it to an early class.

Image Credit: Cheezburger

The GM said no problem, the manager-in-training could leave and OP could just leave at the regular time and he would finish up the next day.

Image Credit: Cheezburger

OP did exactly as he was told, but there was quite the mess left for the next day – something the GM was apparently not expecting (probably because he never did any of the work).

Image Credit: Cheezburger

The GM reprimanded OP, even though he’d only done as he’d been told, and suspended him for two weeks.

Image Credit: Cheezburger

Realizing what he had done, he called him on a Friday night and demanded that he come in to work because there was no on else to cover the shift.

Then he turned in his notice and was never scheduled again – though he did learn that the GM himself had to cover 18-20 hour shifts in his absence.

Image Credit: Cheezburger

Sometimes you have to know when to walk away from a job that just doesn’t appreciate you.

And if you’re a manager like this guy, you spend a lot of time regretting the ones that get away.

The post Here’s More Proof That Micromanaging Bosses Never Come Out Ahead appeared first on UberFacts.

Treasure That People Found While Metal Detecting

There’s a little show called Detectorists that centers around a couple of old friends and their frequently fruitless hobby scanning the countryside with metal detectors, ostensibly in search of some great unknown treasure.

The show, of course, isn’t really about metal detectors, it’s about friendship and fulfillment and life and love and all that good stuff. But still – it did get me wondering about people who actually spend their time doing these things, and what they might find out there.

Lucky for me, I don’t have to search long. Reddit is here with plenty of answers.

15. Spoils of war

Dang sun, that’s a whole gun!

We found an entire civil war Burnside Carbine, a soldier’s silver spill, two spurs, hundreds of bullets and more at a Civil War river crossing I found! from metaldetecting

14. Dog tags

Very nice of you to return them.

Bob is heading home to Wisconsin tomorrow. from metaldetecting

13. More dog tags!

Godspeed, Junior.

I just sent home "Jr" to California. The family are thrilled and I can rest easy knowing the right thing is done. from metaldetecting

12. The lost ring!

What a nice little story.

Wow, this was really cool. Landlady saw me metal detecting in the yard and told me she had lost a treasured silver ring she got in Bali 5 years ago in her garden. I found it in an hour, she was almost crying. Detectorists are your friends! from metaldetecting

11. VERY old money

I wonder what that’s worth?

Found 320 year old silver today in the Netherlands! from metaldetecting

10. 15th century jewelry

That’s definitely something for a museum.

Update: The ring I found earlier this year has been identified as late medieval dating around 1450. Due to its age and material I am obliged to report it and auction it to museums. from metaldetecting

9. An 1851 dollar

This had the equivalent buying power that about 30 bucks has today.

My buddy threw his detector down and started this wild and crazy dance. I tried to ask him what he found, but he couldn’t speak. He had to point to it. from metaldetecting

8. Beautiful Squidward

Where did this come from and why?

Random find of the day… Squidward! from metaldetecting

7. Hammered coin

Let’s celebrate by getting hammered!

It’s finally happened. My first hammered. Henry III silver hammered coin ~1250, England. from metaldetecting

6. Real old 7up

Hate to break it to you but that’s probably flat by now.

Not gold, but still a really cool find! from metaldetecting

5. The silver metal

It’s first place in my heart!

Found my first bit of silver! from metaldetecting

4. Diamond ring

Look at it shine.

Finally! It wasn’t a pull tab. from metaldetecting

3. Carnival medallion

Was it law for a while that you had to put an eagle on absolutely everything?

Found in my front yard, live about 5 miles from where the carnival was held! One of my favorite finds so far. from metaldetecting

2. The upvote

As the prophecy foretold!

Was about to give up when I found this mega upvote. from metaldetecting

1. A treasure trove

What a weird way to propose.

From 1 beach with my girlfriend the other night. Both rings are 18k, 1 with diamonds. That’s 7 rings in total! All were shallow with the equinox 800 and 15×12 coil from metaldetecting

The real treasures are the friends we made along the way. Also treasure.

Have you ever found anything cool?

Tell us about it in the comments.

The post Treasure That People Found While Metal Detecting appeared first on UberFacts.

Tweets That Will Bring a Smile To Your Face

Does your face need a HUGE smile on it? Do your lips need to do some curls?

Well lucky you, you’re in the right place. By which I mean the internet. Specifically this corner of the internet where we’ve rounded up a bunch of tweets that can certainly help us all out with the aforementioned goals of face-smiling.

So get ready to exercise those cheek muscles, it’s happy time with jokes from the Twitter place.

10. What’s the prognosis?

It’s not about whether you should, it’s about whether you can.

9. The paradox

You gotta imagine that with as big a hit as it was, Jessie inevitable heard the song and it was real awkwarttd.

8. Corporate secrets

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times, it’s time to get money out of pizza.

7. I see

Well, you’re not wrong.

6. A big stink

This is the wholesome crap that we all need.

5. Knock knock

I am your loyal guardian unless they have treats or pets.

4. Nature is beautiful

“Guys, could we maybe brainstorm the new fish name for like, just a couple more minutes?”

3. The Michelin man

He’s truly a Renaissance being.

2. Just for the taste of it

And can you put it in a sippy mug?

1. WHO?!

Trying to squeeze all those syllables in is a nightmare.

If you’re not smiling by now, I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe go back and read them all again?

Who are your favorite people to follow on Twitter?

Tell us in the comments.

The post Tweets That Will Bring a Smile To Your Face appeared first on UberFacts.

Why Did You Quit a Job on the First Day? People Shared Their Stories.

I have an embarrassing confession to make.

One time when I was a teenager, I quit a job after one day.

But I’ve only done it once in my life, so don’t give me such a hard time, okay?

It was at a video store that I had always wanted to work at, but after the first (and only) day, I knew it was a horrible idea…but I’ll save that story for my memoirs…

What made you quit a job on the first day?

AskReddit users shared their stories.

1. Locked down.

“I took a job at a lock down residential treatment center as I was desperate for a job. The interviewer said most of the kids were court ordered, and were a step away from juvie.

The interview didn’t go well so I was honestly surprised when they called me offer me the job. The morning of training was going over all of the state and federal laws that governed the place, like resident rights and staff to resident ratios and the like.

The afternoon was a tour of the facility where it became readily apparent that exact none of the laws we’d just covered were being followed.

I left at the end of the day and never came back. I had a feeling something bad was going to happen at that place. A few months later they got shut down after a riot that results in several serious injuries to both residents and staff.

Glad I wasn’t around for that.”

2. Internship.

“My first internship was at a brazilian teen detention center (it’s akin to a prison, but Brazilian law has some distinctions between crimes committed while as an adult or as a teenager – teens go through socio-educational measures).

I was walking through a courtyard with my supervisor when some doctors came running flailing their arms and screaming while officers came running from the opposite direction. I get pulled by my supervisor who just tells me to run back to our office.

These teens as young as 12 had escaped their block. A few minutes later an officer comes knocking on the doors of the offices and yelling for everyone to run outside because a fire had broken out. Some of the teens had set mattresses on fire in their cells.

I didn’t really nope out. My teacher did (she hadn’t even been there that day). So I was forced by the university to choose another place to intern at. Oh well.”

3. Ouch.

“I was 17 and working pre-cast concrete.

Refused to use a rusted to sh**ty ladder. Supervisor called me a p**sy, got up about 7 rungs before his foot went through one, heard his foot snap as he fell.

I called an ambulance and walked to my car in the parking lot.”

4. Ugh!

“Restaurant.

Swept under my station when we were closing. Giant brown pile came out with broom from under low-boy fridge. Pile began to scatter.

It was hundreds of roaches.

Never returned.”

5. Off to a bad start.

“My first ever job.

I was thirteen and I would be delivering phone books from the back of a van through peoples letterboxes.

So I’d be in the back of the van with the phone books and there was an older guy driving slowly while I went back and forth to the van/houses with the books.

At one point the van was getting quite empty so there was more space to move around and we had finished the delivery in the street we were paid to deliver to and he drove to another.

While driving there he drove lets say aggressively and I fell inside the back where the books were. I wasn’t sitting in a seat as the van had no seats in the back. As I put my hand out to steady myself I accidentally laid it across a portable radio that had its antenna extended but the antenna was also broken half-way and razer sharp.

It sliced the palm of my hand clean open 3-4 inches. I can only describe what I saw as gruesome. I said to him to pull the van over and I needed help. He saw my hand and just threw me a plastic bag, the kind you’d get at a supermarket and told me to wrap my hand in it.

Then .. he continued with the deliveries, at-least he delivered the remaining books himself.

I should have been taken to a hospital or at-least home to my parents. I quit after that and never showed up again. As you can imagine my parents were quite angry at him.”

6. Trust your gut.

“Gas station. The manager gave me a weird vibe.

I made it through the first day but didn’t go back.. Found out later he cornered another girl in the back of the store and she had to fight her way out.

Trust your gut.”

7. Nope.

“Summer job working for a landscape architect.

Got to the job site and he asked me to dig a hole in some rocky dirt. I asked for a shovel. He didn’t have one. I asked for a hand spade. He didn’t have one.

He told me to just dig the hole wit my bare hands and then he drove off to another site leaving me completely alone. I dug for a little bit and then said ‘f**k this’ and left.

Had the job specified that I needed to supply my own tools I could’ve but it didn’t and I wasn’t going to work for somebody that expected folks to dig through hard, rocky soil with their hands.”

8. “Marketing.”

“Young and naïve right out of college took a “marketing” job. My interview was great, nothing shady seemed to be going on and no immediate red flags.

After 4 hours of training, my first day consisted of going door to door in a suburban town trying to sell cable to older people. We were told to dress for business, so I’m hiking around for miles in my best skirt, suit jacket and heels. Hours were from “9-5” but we didn’t get back to the business until well after 10pm.

Not to mention, the person I was shadowing was able to make a sale to an older gentleman who seemed to have memory issues. I noped the f**k right out of there.”

9. Nutcases.

“Worked in a hotel for a day.

No one told me where anything was. Got chewed out for it.

Guests enjoying their meals told me to pay no mind/I was doing a good job and that my boss is a c**t.

I told the manager that I was quitting and wouldn’t be doing the next shift.

I arrived the next day, returning a work uniform and my supervisor approached me and yelled at me for being late. I told her I already quit but if I was working, technically I was 5 hours early for my shift.

Absolute nutcases.”

10. Sleazy.

“Electronics store.

My first day we had to attend a class where they teach people how to upsell folks. Basically walked you through ignoring what they ask you for and using their ignorance of the equipment against them. I thought that was really scuzzy.

Then they went on to tell us about a commission style bonus program that basically forced employees to upsell everyone.

When we took the break for lunch that first day I peaced out and went home. Never got paid for those four hours, but I never regretted bouncing on that.”

11. That sucks.

“They hired me to work full time. I had interviewed to work full time.

I was trying to quit a horrible job, and this job was on the other end of town. I needed enough money for the bus pass, and to make up the difference and more of quitting my old job. They hired me and showed me my schedule.

I showed up for my first day, things are going good, then my manager called me in, sat me down, and explained that they’d have to cut me down to 15 hours a week because they’d hired too many fu**ing people. I explained, painfully, that I had to take a bus an hour each way and wouldn’t be able to pay rent or food after that.

He said I could always hold out and hope people quit. I told him he could start with me, took off my apron and stormed out in tears.”

12. No thanks!

“I was hired at a chain restaurant to be a hostess.

I was so excited because my last job was washing dishes and because of my eczema, I had to quit. It was too painful to do that job.

So, I arrived at my new job dressed up to be a hostess and those mfers took me back to the kitchen to do dishes because the dishwasher just quit. I noped out of there real fast!”

Have you ever quit a job on the first day?

If so, tell us your stories in the comments.

Thanks a lot!

The post Why Did You Quit a Job on the First Day? People Shared Their Stories. appeared first on UberFacts.

12 People Talk About What It’s Like to Be Transgender

There’s a lot to be said for feeling comfortable in your own skin.

History is filled with people who didn’t, and suffered for it.

But there have also been a great many people, and probably more than we know, who “passed” unnoticed, as the gender they identified with.

A famous example was 19th century Irish surgeon James Barry, renowned in his day, and serving the British military in the rank of Inspector General before he died.

It was only after he died and was being prepared for burial that people discovered the truth.

It’s a difficult thing. No one should have to announce who they are, but no one should have to hide themselves either.

Like James Barry, these 12 transgender people are hiding in plain sight.

1. It’s no one’s business but yours

But it can’t be easy to hide a part of yourself from the people who are close to you.

I'm trans and have transitioned, but no one knows. I'm worried to hurt closest friends by telling them that I've lied to them all this time.

Image credit: Whisper

2. Feeling safe is so important

No one likes to be talked about. But people love to talk.

A person came out as trans where I work and everyone is talking about it. No one knows I'm trans too because I pass so well. I feel so lucky.

Image credit: Whisper

3. Some people just want to feel seen

But, just like society has become more accepting of the gay community,
someday maybe the “stealth thing” won’t feel needed.

No one knows or suspects I'm trans. I'm fairly open and nonchalant about being gay, or most people know and assume I am. But not a single person ever questions if I am trans. This stealth thing is hard.

Image credit: Whisper

4. Imagine having to navigate romantic relationships

Do you just put it out there? Bring it up on the first date?

Being trans is hard when no one knows you're trans, you're trying to find a relationship and you have to deal with college all at the same time. FML.

Image credit: Whisper

5. Restrooms are stressful even without bathroom bills

Even CIS people hate public restrooms.
Imagine what it must be like for the transgender community.

I hate public restrooms. I feel so out of place. I'm trans, but no one knows because my family is a super strict Christian family and would disown me and throw me out.

Image credit: Whisper

6. For some, stealth is fine

As long as you can live your best life as yourself, I say go for it.

10 years ago, Ithought I had to just suck it up and live as a man. Now, with no makeup, no surgeries, and even in t-shirt and jeans, no one knows I'm trans. I like being stealth.

Image credit: Whisper

7. It can weigh heavily on your mental health

Whether because you’re keeping a secret, or because you’re not living as your true self.

I'm a closeted trans woman. I have depression and anxiety becasue of it. I'm suicidal on some days, but no one knows any of this andthat just hurts me more.

Image credit: Whisper

8. It’s such a difficult decision to make

You never know how people will react. And you can’t take it back.

Part of me says, 'F**k it! I don't care if anyone knows I'm trans' and the other part of me says 'makesure no one knows you exist.' I'm still in the closet.

Image credit: Whisper

9. Sometimes you get lucky

Especially if your aesthetic fits your form.

I was born male, and I'm trans. But no one knows because I'm a very butchy girl.

Image credit: Whisper

10. It can be a long journey

Sometimes the hardest person to come out to, is yourself.

I've been slowly coming to the realization that I'm trans over the past month or so. I'm happy inthe sense that I know why I feel the way I do. However, no one knows and I don't even know how to bring it up.

Image credit: Whisper

11. It’s good to know who you are and what you want

The next step is figuring out how to get it.

Seeing the cutest dress at the mall and not being able to get it because no one knows you're trans...

Image credit: Whisper

12. So buy the dress, because the second step seems to be Halloween

What better time to be yourself?

No one knows I'm trans in any of my classes so i'm going to cross-dress for Halloween as an excuse to go out in a dress. I want that free candy though LOL.

Image credit: Whisper

These posts really show the different sides of being transgender.

Did we leave anything out? Let us know in the comments.

The post 12 People Talk About What It’s Like to Be Transgender appeared first on UberFacts.