beautifulmars.tumblr.comBEAUTIFUL MARS

') Your browser is ancient! Upgrade to a different browser or install Google Chrome Frame to experience this site. Images and posts from HiRISE, the high resolution camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO, NASA). We are based at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ. Enhanced color pictures are 1 km across; black and white are less than 5 km. Visit our site: uahirise.org Ask me anything Archive RSS High-res HiPOD 5 February 2020: An Impact North of Valles Marineris Repeat imaging of the same location on Mars allows us to detect changes, including new impacts. This recent crater is known to have formed between February 2005 and July 2005. Before and after images enable us to “age” a crater to within a few months or years. HiRISE often confirms the existence of craters identified in pre-existing lower resolution images . Incoming impactors form new craters and deposit rock, in what is called an ejecta blanket that is outside the crater. The ejecta blanket resembles a splash pattern when seen from above. The dark colors in the image show a portion of the blanket, including far-flung small pieces of rock. The blue likely represents dark basaltic rocks, a volcanic rock commonly found in places like Hawaii, on top of the dust-covered surface. The radial features of the crater are comprised of ejecta and often termed “rays.” Rays are used to help identify more recent craters and find them in images. Older craters do not have rays as they have been eroded away. As is clear from an example like this, impact craters allow us to study the subsurface portions of planetary bodies. ID: ESP_011425_1775 date: 2 January 2009 altitude: 260 km NASA/JPL/UArizona mars nasa science Source uahirise.org 5 days ago 53 notes High-res HiPOD 4 February 2020: Impact Melt Flows and Ponds This image shows various crater-related features. Specifically, we see a raised mound in the middle, called a central uplift, and terraces (or ledges) on the crater wall. Within these locations are dark-toned deposits consistent with impact melt-bearing substances that behave as flows and ponded materials. This Context Camera mosaic image shows a large 60-kilometer diameter crater named Mojave to the east of this HiRISE image. The impact melt-bearing material within the smaller crater likely originated from Mojave Crater. Therefore, we know that Mojave formed after this smaller crater. As a result of the Mojave Crater impact, ejected material was transported to the smaller crater, some of which flowed around and some of which spilled inside and filled the topographic lows, such as on the terraces or the crater floor . Within the melt, we see evidence of “pitting.” Pitting comes from the release of volatile gases within the melt. These pits are commonly associated with and diagnostic of impact melt-bearing material on Mars and other rocky and ice-rich bodies in the Solar System. ID: PSP_006993_1875 date: 23 January 2008 altitude: 278 km NASA/JPL/UArizona mars nasa science Source uahirise.org 6 days ago 16 notes HiPOD 29 January 2020: The Schiaparelli Crash Site The ExoMars Schiaparelli Lander (Entry, Descent, and landing Module, or EDM) crashed on the Martian surface on 19 October 2016. Also on that day the Trace Gas Orbiter successfully entered Mars orbit. The HiRISE images acquired soon after the crash showed diffuse dark markings surrounding a shallow crater, plus small bright spots. HiRISE re-imaged this location on 25 March 2019, while dust was still settling from the planet-encircling dust storm, so surface features had low contrast. HiRISE re-imaged this spot again through a much clearer atmosphere on 14 December 2019 ( see animation ). Much of the diffuse dark material has faded, perhaps from dust fallout, such that the crater is now more distinct. At least two bright spots are still visible. In 2020 we expect three launches to Mars leading to landing attempts in early 2021: NASA’s unnamed (Mars 2020) rover, that will collect samples for return to Earth; the ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars lander and Rosalind Franklin rover; and an orbiter, lander, and Huoxing-1 (Mars-1) rover from China. HiRISE will be ready to see what happens. ID: ESP_062731_1780 date: 14 December 2019 altitude: 269 km NASA/JPL/UArizona Source uahirise.org 1 week ago 57 notes High-res HiPOD 28 January 2020: A Possible Landing Region for a Future Mars Sample Return Although the “Mars 2020” rover (to be renamed) is planned to land inside Jezero Crater, HiRISE continues to image the regions to the west of the crater because the rover may drive into this area in its extended mission. If so, this western region may be a potential location to set down a future mission that might carry an ascent vehicle and a “fetch” rover. The enhanced color cutout highlights an interesting portion of this image , with fractured bedrock and wind-blown dunes. ID: ESP_062886_1990 date: 26 December 2019 altitude: 281 km NASA/JPL/UArizona mars nasa science Source uahirise.org 1 week ago 39 notes HiPOD 27 January 2020: Dulovo Crater Dunes We’ve imaged these beautiful, sleek barchan dunes before, so our goal is track for any changes three Mars years later. Dulovo is named for a town in Bulgaria. ID: ESP_055303_1835 date: 14 May 2018 altitude: 271 km NASA/JPL/UArizona mars nasa science astronomy Source uahirise.org 2 weeks ago 41 notes High-res HiPOD 24 January 2020: Mounds Cut by a Fissure This image shows four relatively bright mounds along a linear, curving feature that appears to be a rift zone, where the shallow surface materials have pulled apart. The mounds also appear to be deformed. A possible geologic interpretation is that as the rift began to open, subsurface material (perhaps mud) erupted to create the mounds, which were then deformed as the rift continued to spread. This region (Chryse Planitia) is a low-elevation basin in which large outflow channels deposited water and sediments billions of years ago. ID: ESP_062943_2230 date: 31 December 2019 altitude: 301 km NASA/JPL/UArizona mars nasa science Source uahirise.org 2 weeks ago 17 notes High-res HiPOD 23 January 2020: A Giant Gully in Kaiser Crater Dunes HiRISE has been monitoring this dune field since 2008, and it changes every year from gully erosion in the winter and blowing sand in the summer. This cutout shows an especially large gully . The bright white materials are seasonal frost, persisting on shaded slopes. ID: ESP_062928_1325 date: 29 December 2019 altitude: 252 km NASA/JPL/UArizona mars nasa science astronomy Source uahirise.org 2 weeks ago 32 notes High-res HiPOD 16 January 2020: Barchan and Linear Dunes This image shows two types of sand dunes on Mars. The small dots are called barchan dunes, and from their shape we can tell that they are upwind. The downwind dunes are long and linear. These two types of dune each show the wind direction in different ways: the barchans have a steep slope and crescent-shaped “horns” that point downwind, while the linear dunes are stretched out along the primary wind direction. Linear dunes, however, typically indicate a wind regime with at least two different prevailing winds, which stretch out the sand along their average direction. In several places in this image, you can find barchan dunes turning into linear dunes as they are stretched out, but they both seem into indicate the same wind direction. ID: ESP_062731_2645 date: 14 December 2019 altitude: 319 km NASA/JPL/UArizona Mars science astronomy Source uahirise.org 3 weeks ago 59 notes High-res HiPOD 15 January 2020: Dunes Frozen in Time Sand dunes are found in many places on Mars. At most of these places the dunes are slowly moving, blown by the wind, just like on Earth. However, in this location in south Melas Chasma they appear to have turned to stone. The large dunes are slowly being eroded and disappearing , replaced by smaller structures of scalloped sand. ID: ESP_062562_1670 date: 1 December 2019 altitude: 262 km NASA/JPL/UArizona mars nasa science Source uahirise.org 3 ...