PIA02361: Happy Valentine's Day From Mars!
 Target Name:  Mars
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  Mars Global Surveyor (MGS)
 Spacecraft:  Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter
 Instrument:  Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC)
 Product Size:  361 x 358 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  Malin Space Science Systems
 Producer ID:  MOC2-207 MRPS95809 P50765
 Addition Date:  2000-04-24
 Primary Data Set:  MGS EDRs
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA02361.tif (143.8 kB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA02361.jpg (38.89 kB)

Click on the image above to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original)

Original Caption Released with Image:

Happy St. Valentine's Day from the Red Planet! The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) captured this unique view of a bright, heart-shaped mesa in the south polar region on November 26, 1999. This feature is located in the Promethei Rupes region near 79.6°S, 298.3°W. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the lower left. The heart is about 255 meters (279 yards) across. The presence of this mesa indicates that the darker, rough terrain that surrounds it was once covered by a layer of the bright material.

Earlier in 1999, MGS MOC saw another valentine heart, but instead of a mesa, the feature was expressed as a pit. You can view that image by CLICKING HERE.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/MSSS

Image Addition Date:
2000-04-24