PIA04271: The Martian Limb
 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:  810 x 540 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  Malin Space Science Systems
 Producer ID:  MOC2-328
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA04271.tif (196.1 kB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA04271.jpg (35.28 kB)

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Original Caption Released with Image:

The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) red and blue wide angle cameras provide daily coverage of the planet "from limb to limb." The "limbs" are the edges of the planet as seen to the west and east of the spacecraft. Depending on weather conditions, clouds or haze can sometimes be seen above the limb. This picture was taken by the blue camera in December 2002. It is an oblique view looking westward across heavily cratered terrain at high southern latitudes. A thin line of haze, high in the martian atmosphere, can be seen above the planet's surface. The view of craters in the foreground is enhanced by the presence of bright, winter-time carbon dioxide frost. The darkness above the limb is outer space.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Image Addition Date:
2003-04-04