NASA Mars Odyssey THEMIS Image: North Polar Erg 04-06-2005
Image Context: Context image credit: NASA/Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) Team [ Find on map: Javascript version ] [ Find on map: CGI version ]
Our topic for the weeks of April 4 and April 11 is dunes on Mars. We will look at the north polar sand sea and at isolated dune fields at lower latitudes. Sand seas on Earth are often called “ergs”, an Arabic name for dune field. A sand sea differs from a dune field in two ways: 1) a sand sea has a large regional extent, and 2) the individual dunes are large in size and complex in form. This VIS image was taken at 82 degrees North latitude during Northern spring. As with yesterday’s image, the dunes are still partially frost covered. This region is part of the north polar erg (sand sea), note the complexity and regional coverage of the dunes. [Source: ASU THEMIS Science Team] Note: this THEMIS visual image has not been radiometrically nor geometrically calibrated for this preliminary release. An empirical correction has been performed to remove instrumental effects. A linear shift has been applied in the cross-track and down-track direction to approximate spacecraft and planetary motion. Fully calibrated and geometrically projected images will be released through the Planetary Data System in accordance with Project policies at a later time.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Arizona State University | ||||||||||||||||||||
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