Fun thread: what is this a picture of?

CalliArcale · Apr 5, 2005

<blockquote>In reply to:<hr />Yeah, my first reaction was Earth, because it is the same location with change occuring in what appears to be ice flows. We haven't stuck around anywhere else long enough to see such changes.<hr /></blockquote> Earth is correct! I was hoping to throw people by posting something that wasn't extraterrestrial. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> But you weren't fooled! The spacecraft RadarSat took these pictures to track the growth of Arctic ice during the winter, a time when visual tracking is useless because there is no sunlight. The mission provided the first comprehensive data on ice thickness across the entire Arctic Ocean. Fun facts about RadarSat (since you all probably know plenty about Earth itself): * RadarSat is a joint mission between the Canadian Space Administration, the Alaskan Synthetic Apeture Radar facility at the University of Fairbanks, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. * Arctic sea ice may be a potent indicator of global environmental conditions; it is only an average of three meters thick, which means it is very sensitive to changes in temperature and flexes a great deal with sea currents beneath it <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff." -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

CalliArcale · Apr 5, 2005

Here's a new one. This time, like the first image in this thread, the entire object is shown, rather than a closeup. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff." -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

larper · Apr 5, 2005

Hmm. It is so irregularly shaped, I am going to say it is a comet! Halley? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Vote Libertarian </div>

imran10 · Apr 5, 2005

It is definitely a comet! That is Comet Wild 2 which was visited by Stardust last year.

gfpaladin · Apr 5, 2005

Yeah, it is. Good call!

larper · Apr 5, 2005

Wild2 was my second guess. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Vote Libertarian </div>

CalliArcale · Apr 5, 2005

Bingo! Comet 81P/Wild 2, photographed by the Stardust spacecraft. Fun facts about Comet Wild 2: * first comet to have had its tail material sampled; this sample will return to the Earth next January * the comet had a dangerously close encounter with Jupiter in 1974; this deflected the comet, greatly lowering its orbit * its orbital period is much shorter than many more famous periodic comets; Wild 2 goes around the sun in only 6.39 years <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff." -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

CalliArcale · Apr 5, 2005

This one's another close-up. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff." -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

larper · Apr 5, 2005

Eros? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Vote Libertarian </div>

zenonmars · Apr 5, 2005

I'm guessing it's Earth's moon.......looks like a segment of one of the Apollo arial shots. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

larper · Apr 5, 2005

Naw. The horizon curves too much, and the craters are too deep in comparison. This is a small body. Eros, Gaspra, or Ida are my guesses. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Vote Libertarian </div>

imran10 · Apr 5, 2005

I would have to go with Eros too.

CalliArcale · Apr 5, 2005

You guys are good. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> I'm gonna have to find a much harder one next. It may take a while for the next image to get posted as a consequence! This is indeed 433 Eros, as photographed by the NEAR-Shoemaker spacecraft. Note in particular the contrast between different materials in the crater. This isn't unique to Eros, but was noted during the mission. It is believed to be the result of landslides pulling weathered material downhill, exposing fresh material to the weathering effects of the solar wind. Fun facts about Eros: * Eros was discovered in 1898 by Gustav Witt. * Eros is the only minor planet on which a spacecraft has landed. Tthe touchdown of NEAR-Shoemaker was not originally part of the mission plan, but after carefully mapping the gravity field of the highly irregular asteroid, the team felt confident about trying to end the mission with a bit of drama. The touchdown was absolutely flawless, and although the probe's geometry made it impossible for it to return pictures from the surface, it was able to transmit information about its health and some gamma-ray spectrographic readings from the surface. An attempt was made to contact NEAR a year later, when Eros' orbit carried the spacecraft into a favorable attitude for communications with Earth, but no response was received. * It's also the only minor planet to get an artificial satellite, although it doesn't currently have an artificial satellite. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> It will lose this distinction when the Rosetta probe arrives at its destination and enters orbit around a comet's nucleus. * Eros belongs to a class of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) called Amors. These are asteroids which orbit roughly between Earth and Mars, often crossing beyond Mars but not by much. Phobos and Deimos may have once belonged to this group. Amors do not cross the orbit of Earth, but they may come very close, and some are <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff." -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

CalliArcale · Apr 5, 2005

Okay, I don't know how much harder this one will actually be, but here goes. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff." -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

najab · Apr 5, 2005

Mercury - Mariner 10.

larper · Apr 5, 2005

Venus <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Vote Libertarian </div>

JonClarke · Apr 5, 2005

Mars - Mariner IV picture 11 <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars Arthur Clarke </div>

CalliArcale · Apr 5, 2005

Nope, and nope. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> Quick hint: najaB guessed that this was taken by Mariner 10. It wasn't. But as it happens, the dominant feature in this photograph is called Mariner Crater. D'oh, JonClarke answered it while I was typing this up. (I got interrupted while typing. I hate it when that happens. <img src="/images/icons/tongue.gif" /> ) Yes, this is Mars. Mariner 4 flew past Mars in 1964, returning the first up-close images of the Red Planet. The results were disappointing to some. Mariner 4 had no real way of targeting specific regions in the very fast flyby (the first ever of that planet), so it was total potluck. The craters it revealed reminded many viewers of the surface of the Moon, punching some serious holes in the dream of a habitable Mars. But that was mostly bad luck. Mariner 4 had imaged some of the most ancient and heavily cratered terrain on all of Mars, and we now know that it's not typical of the entire planet. Fun facts about Mars: * Mars lacks a global magnetic field, but shows evidence of a past magnetic field; orbiting spacecraft have measured regions that retain magnetism, perhaps due to ferromagnetic materials in the crust that were magnetized by a now-absent global magnetic field. These regions have denser atmospheres, as they are somewhat more protected from the solar wind, and some landers have been targetted at those regions because parachutes work better in denser air. * Apart from the Moon, Mars is the most heavily visited celestial object. It has also earned a reputation as a sort of Bermuda Triangle for robotic spacecraft. Many spacecraft have failed either en route or on arrival. But many have been successful as well, and Mars has proven to be a worthy challenge for robotics and artificial intelligence experts. * Mars has a thin atmosphere, thin enough that a human would need a full pressure suit. * Although liquid surface <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff." -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

najab · Apr 5, 2005

That seals it then: Mars, Mariner 4. I guessed it was a Mariner from the image quality. If you really want to stump everybody, play with a Mars Express image to make it look like a Mariner 4 one. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

CalliArcale · Apr 5, 2005

<blockquote>In reply to:<hr />If you really want to stump everybody, play with a Mars Express image to make it look like a Mariner 4 one.<hr /></blockquote> I haven't gotten that evil yet. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> All of the images I've posted so far have been unaltered from what's publicly availble on the Web (mainly at the Planetary Photojournal). I did crop the Mars picture to edit out the little hatch marks on the sides that all the Mariner 4 pics seem to have. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff." -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

CalliArcale · Apr 5, 2005

Here's another one for ya. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> Last one for the day. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff." -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

tamski · Apr 6, 2005

hmm, I'd put my money on Europa... Though I've never seen anything like this, but this must be a very detailed close-up, yes?

CalliArcale · Apr 6, 2005

Yes, this is a very detailed close-up, and no it is not Europa. However, this is a world which may have processes somewhat similar to Europa, although it is not as active, has more rock, and its surface is older. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff." -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

tamski · Apr 6, 2005

Then it must be Ganymede!!

gfpaladin · Apr 6, 2005

Ganymede

Fun thread: what is this a picture of?

CalliArcale

Guest

CalliArcale

Guest

larper

Guest

imran10

Guest

gfpaladin

Guest

larper

Guest

CalliArcale

Guest

CalliArcale

Guest

larper

Guest

zenonmars

Guest

larper

Guest

imran10

Guest

CalliArcale

Guest

CalliArcale

Guest

najab

Guest

larper

Guest

JonClarke

Guest

CalliArcale

Guest

najab

Guest

CalliArcale

Guest

CalliArcale

Guest

tamski

Guest

CalliArcale

Guest

tamski

Guest

gfpaladin

Guest

Similar threads

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Share this page