23 August 2004
Mars yields more truly strange pictures than any other planet beyond our own. This one is a doozy.
It shows sand dunes in the north polar region in mid-spring, martian time, which was June this year here on Earth. In summer, the dunes will be dark, according to scientists at Malin Space Science Systems. As the dunes defrost, dark spots form on their surfaces.
The picture, released this week, was taken with NASA's Mars Global Surveyor. The are is located near 82.8°N, 219.6°W. The image covers an region about 1.9 miles (3 km) across. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left.
Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
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