PIA03977: South Polar Knob
NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows a small, relatively light-toned knob of layered material, and the erosional expression of the underlying layers, in the south polar region of 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:  672 x 1378 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  Malin Space Science Systems 
 Producer ID:  MOC2-1139  
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA03977.tif (927.2 kB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA03977.jpg (152.4 kB)  

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Original Caption Released with Image:

1 July 2005
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a small, relatively light-toned knob of layered material, and the erosional expression of the underlying layers, in the south polar region of Mars. When the image was acquired in April 2005, the surface was still covered with seasonal carbon dioxide frost. Dark spots and streaks mark locations where the frost had begun to change and sublime away.

Location near: 84.2°S, 138.3°W
Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: upper left
Season Southern Spring

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Image Addition Date:
2005-07-01