Now you can buy an atlas for the Red Planet

A Mars Atlas has been published using geographic techniques developed for maps to reveal a wealth of information about the surface of the Red Planet, as well as its climate and cloud cover. The atlas will be presented this week at the 52nd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.

The 84-page atlas is currently available in English, Hungarian and Czech and will be available in digital format later this year. The atlas, developed for use in astronomy clubs and schools, was funded by the Europlanet Society through its Central European hub.

The bulk of the atlas consists of a series of double distributions showing each of the 30 cartographic quadrilaterals in which the surface of Mars is divided by the U.S. Geological Survey. The landforms created by lava, wind, water and ice are shown separately on a topographical base map, with features such as dune fields, mountain peaks, volcanic caldera, caves, old dried-up lakes and deltas and fault lines.

For the first time in a published Mars Atlas, climate maps are included, showing 13 climate zones with limits determined by the combination of seasonal temperature and frost data. A series of climate diagrams shows the variation in temperature through the March year for each of the zones. In addition, a weather map shows the temperature at ground level over the western hemisphere of Mars at the two annual solstices.

The atlas also contains an albedo map, derived from data from Mars Express and Mars Global Surveyor, which reflects the amount of sunlight from the surface, the regularly cloudy regions and the maximum area covered by the seasonal caps of frozen carbon dioxide and water ice. at the torture poles.

The map editor, Henrik Hargitai of Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest and former chairman of the Planetary Cartography Commission of the International Cartographic Association, said: “The maps in the atlas are processed manually, using accurate data from missions and models. Thematic maps showing patterns in physical geography have been used in land atlases for decades, but this is the first time they have been available in an atlas for Mars. The publication of this issue is a highlight of the mapping of efforts during the ‘Atlas also contains a one-page calendar for Mars year 36, covering the period from February 2021 to December 2022, which explains the milestones in the seasonal changes on Mars.’

Future plans for the atlas include the addition of thematic maps showing regions of interest in detail, and atlas-based activities for educators. In addition to being an aid to outreach and education, this type of multi-themed map could be valuable to the scientific community in interpreting the geological evolution of Mars, estimating whether an area could ever house life, or to identify resources in situ to support future human reconnaissance missions.

Provided by Europlanet Media Center