Photo: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU
Mars is known as the “Red Planet” for its rusty color – the result of the iron content in the earth. Like Earth, however, the planet has polar regions and active weather patterns in its thin atmosphere. NASA has released an infrared image of the surface of Mars captured by their Mars Odyssey Orbiter. The image of undulating blue and gold dunes shows a side of the planet that few people see – an actively changing and varied landscape rather than simple swirling dust. It is being released as part of NASA’s celebrations for the 20th anniversary of Odyssey’s mission to Mars.
On April 7, 2001, the Mars Odyssey spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Odyssey orbit is still around the Red Planet and is the oldest vessel still operating around Mars. It is equipped with an infrared camera known as the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS). The camera captures the changing temperatures of Mars’ surface, providing valuable information about the composition and surface features of the planet.
The image of undulating blue dunes and windswept golden sand is actually a thermal image – the yellow indicates warmer temperatures, and the blue shows cooler regions. It is a compilation of images captured by THEMIS between December 2002 and November 2004. The final image shows a region of about 18 kilometers near the northern polar cap of Mars. The winds in this region carved the distinctive pattern in the dunes. These dunes cover an area as large as the state of Texas. Although the dunes would not really be ‘blue’ to the human eye, the image is a testament to the diverse landscape of Mars. It’s also a testament to how far knowledge of Mars and the environment has progressed since Odyssey’s launch in 2001.
NASA has released a thermal image of blue dunes on Mars, AKA, the red planet.
TEMA image from the Odyssey Orbiter showing a double-bowl crater on Mars’ surface, caused by a meteorite that split before impact. (Photo: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU)
The image was released in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Mars Odyssey Orbiter. The image is a testament to how far knowledge of Mars and its surroundings has progressed since Odyssey’s launch in 2001.
NASA’s Mars Odyssey Launch in 2001 in Florida, April 2001. (Photo: NASA)
h / t: [Mashable, CNET]
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