Images of Mars -- Part Three

[rlb2]

Now we got a little more to work with L2,L5,L7 filters. Note there is time between filter images which<br /> makes it a little more difficult to process into a pan-view causing the Hue Balance between <br />stitched images to go a little out of whack. <br /><br />If you see a dominant green, blue or yellow try another monitor - all monitors are not created equal <br />therefore they are not calibrated relative to each other.<br /><br />1P212696135EFL5M1<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>

 

[rlb2]

1P212697650EL5M1 <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>

 

[JonClarke]

Most odd! Your explanation sounds good to me. But it is still amazing!<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>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</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[SpaceKiwi]

I'm struck by the blackness of the holes in the top two, almost like an artifact of the photo. <br />The one on the top left seems amazingly uniformly shaped. A neat pic. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em><font size="2" color="#ff0000">Who is this superhero?  Henry, the mild-mannered janitor ... could be!</font></em></p><p><em><font size="2">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</font></em></p><p><font size="5">Bring Back The Black!</font></p> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

The "They're fossils!" people will whip themselves into a lather of this <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />Jon<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>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</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[ittiz]

The darkness is because Mars' atmosphere is much thinner resulting is far less scattering of light. So the shadows aren't as illuminated on Mars as they are on Earth.

 

[rlb2]

1P212696259EL5M1 <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>

 

[exoscientist]

Wow! Thanks for the link to the APOD image, Stevehw33.<br /> I hadn't noticed before that there was a crater right on the rim of Victoria from orbital imaging. It appears on the right side of the APOD image.<br /> This definitely gives the appearance of a volcanic crater rather than an impact crater.<br />This might give us a chance for the first time to observe the interior of a volcanic crater on Mars.<br /><br /><br /> Bob Clark <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[exoscientist]

An analogue of the Victoria crater complex might be Crater Lake, <br />Oregon:<br /><br />Crater Lake, Oregon <br />Crater Lake National Park <br />http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/CraterLake/Locale/framework.html<br /><br />A curious aspect of Victoria crater is its irregular rim with <br />alternating promontories and alcoves. The rim of Crater Lake, Oregon <br />might be analogous to this:<br /><br />Crater Lake, Oregon. <br />http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17401<br /><br />Although in the case of Crater Lake, the irregular rim is only <br />apparent on half of the rim, the other half having a more rounded <br />appearance. <br />The volcanic crater on the rim of Victoria might be analogous to <br />Wizard Island and Mount Scott in the Crater Lake complex, labeled in <br />the preceding image. <br />The crater forming Crater Lake formed from the collapse of a volcano. <br />Then an analogous scenario would account for the origin of Victoria <br />crater on Mars. Then Victoria itself might be a volcanic crater. <br /><br /><br /> Bob Clark <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

The feature in 1P212696259EL5M1 is most interesting.<br /><br /><br />The most interesting feature for me is the fact that the hole appears younger than the dune on the rim of Victoria crater. The dune is truncated by the hole, showing a near vertical section through the dune. The fact that the dune material support such a near vertical surface shows that the dune is very cohesive, perhaps indurated. The internal structure of the dune is clearly visible.<br /><br />Volcanic and impact origins seem unlikely to me, on morphological grounds. It looks like a collapse feature, on Earth such feature result from piping or solution. The question is, what made this cavity and when? I hope the rover takes a closer look!<br /><br />Jon<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>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</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[rlb2]

<font color="orange">Jon - It looks like a collapse feature, on Earth such feature result from piping or <br />solution. The question is, what made this cavity and when? I hope the rover takes a <br />closer look!<font color="white"><br /><br />When I first saw it I thought it might be from a small piece that was broken off at impact but<br />now that you mentioned it, it does look like some kind of collapse of the surface after the <br />initial impact, creating a subterranean sink hole. Maybe it was caused by the initial impact <br />from the resultant shock wave. <br /><br />A long shot idea may be that the collapse of the surface protrudes down into Victoria crater <br />creating what we see as a small natural land bridge. Whatever it is, as you said, they need <br />to take a closer look at it..<br /><br />1P212697650EL5M<br /><br />For full size image go to:<br /><br />http://members.cox.net/innovator/1P212697650EL5M1,75.jpg</font></font> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>

 

[bonzelite]

these views are just awesome!! holy cow! <br /><br />so, John, you feel this is more a sinkhole? that is very amazing, then. this gets me to wondering how many craters on the surface are really collapsed regions of material.

 

[search]

Amazing pictures great thread<br /><br />Congratulations to everyone which have been providing this forum with pictures and comments.<br /><br />I hope I am not repeating anyone's mention of this sites:<br /><br /><br />Here is a good diary from Steven W. Squyres<br /><br /><br /><br />And here is the video of Vitoria Crater<br />

 

[rlb2]

An Eagle's eye in the sky took this amazing image, I sharpened it a bit.<br /><br />MRO color cameras make my job a lot easier.<br /><br />http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/MRO/multimedia/mro-2061006-1.html<br /><br /><font color="orange">This view is a portion of an image taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment <br />(HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft on Oct. 3, 2006. The <br />complete image is centered at minus7.8 degrees latitude, 279.5 degrees East longitude. The <br />range to the target site was 297 kilometers (185.6 miles). At this distance the image scale is <br />29.7 centimeters (12 inches) per pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects about 89 centimeters <br />(35 inches) across are resolved. North is up. The image was taken at a local Mars time of <br />3:30 PM and the scene is illuminated from the west with a solar incidence angle of 59.7 degrees, <br />thus the sun was about 30.3 degrees above the horizon. At a solar longitude of 113.6 degrees, <br />the season on Mars is northern summer. <br /><br />Images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment and additional information about <br />the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are available online at: <br /><br />http://www.nasa.gov/mro or http://HiRISE.lpl.arizona.edu.</font> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>

 

[rlb2]

Here is a darker image from above so we can see more details of the rover tracks. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>

 

[nazcalito]

interesting ground pattern in another of the MRO images -- TRA_00847_2055_RED.jpg , the Mawrth Vallis Mesa.<br /><br />(Can't find the "post" button, all I can find is "reply")

 

[nazcalito]

some more samples of the patterning. Unfortunately, about half of this image seems to be out of focus for some reason or other.

 

[rlb2]

WOW...<br /><br />Look for MRO to redefine Mars. The cameras will give us what is as close to true color as you<br /> can get. I took what they had and sharpened it even more, enlarged a section of <br />Victoria crater and this is what I got. It does help validate most of my rover color images.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>

 

[bonzelite]

holy wow. man. i am speechless. that is just shocking in detail. my god. <br /><br />i see now from orbit the irregular nature of Victoria crater. it definitely looks like a sink hole. almost would seem to be nothing else.

 

[rlb2]

Look at the upper right hand corner, a outline of a buried crater.<br /><br />To see full 25 mb image of Victoria crater and the dune field go to the official NASA <br />released image site: <br /><br />http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/mro/gallery/press/20061006b/Victoria-color-annot.jpg<br /><br />http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/mro/gallery/press/index.html<br /><br />___________________________________________________<br /><br /><font color="orange">nazcalito - interesting ground pattern in another of the MRO images<font color="white"><br /><br />The MRO will start taking full true color images like the ones above in November, it may <br />even find lost space probes and revisit the Viking - Pathfinder sites to give us images that<br /> far exceed anything else before it, I can’t wait <font color="white"></font></font></font> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>

 

[bonzelite]

yes, i saw that buried crater formation. i wonder how long it takes to achieve that? how long does a rippling formation on the sand, for example, remain there before it gets obliterated? <br /><br />there are such ripples in the sands at the edges of Victoria crater. apparently, the ground caved in, taking with it the pre-existing sand patterns. some remain as are seen on the ground leading up to the edges of some of the cliffs. so the collapse was fairly recent in time, i will assume (unless the sand dune ripples are 900MY old --which i doubt).

 

[exoscientist]

Gorgeous pic, rlb2.<br /> Do you have a blow-up of the HIRISE image showing the small rim crater I mentioned?<br /><br /><br /> Bob Clark <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[rlb2]

I sharpened and stretched this one as far as it would go to meet the 100kb<br />max for this board; hopefully this is the one you wanted to see. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Ron Bennett </div>

 

[exoscientist]

That's a pretty one too. But I was actually referring to this "roundish" feature that appears just to the left of the "Duck Bay" label in this labeled, color image:<br /><br />http://hiroc.lpl.arizona.edu/images/TRA/TRA_000873_1780/Victoria-color-annot.browse.jpg<br /><br /> I believe this is the crater referred to as "Sputnik" by MER scientists since earlier tracks are visible near it so it was probably photographed when Opportunity was at this earlier location.<br /><br />Mars Rover and Orbiter Team Examines Victoria Crater.<br />http://www.physorg.com/news79360819.html<br /><br /><br /><br /> Bob Clark <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[exoscientist]

Whoa, the "Sputnik" crater is unbelievable steep and deep when viewed through 3-D glasses!<br /><br />Layers of 'Cabo Frio' in 'Victoria Crater' (Stereo)<br />"This view of "Victoria crater" is looking southeast from "Duck Bay" towards the dramatic promontory called "Cabo Frio." The small crater in the right foreground, informally known as "Sputnik", is about 20 meters (about 65 feet) away from the rover, the tip of the spectacular, layered, Cabo Frio promontory itself is about 200 meters (about 650 feet) away from the rover, and the exposed rock layers are about 15 meters (about 50 feet) tall. This is a red-blue stereo anaglyph generated from images taken by the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity during the rover's 952nd sol, or Martian day, (Sept. 28, 2006) using the camera's 430-nanometer filters."<br />http://marsrovers.nasa.gov/gallery/press/opportunity/20061006a/Sol952B_P2388_L7R1ana.jpg <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>