Catalog Page for PIA04690

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PIA04690: South Polar Artwork

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the south polar residual cap of Mars. Patterns are formed by erosion and sublimation of multiple layers of frozen carbon dioxide.

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:	837 x 1256 pixels (w x h)
Produced By:	Malin Space Science Systems
Full-Res TIFF:	PIA04690.tif (996.3 kB)
Full-Res JPEG:	PIA04690.jpg (185.3 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:

MGS MOC Release No. MOC2-456, 18 August 2003

Nature has created some interesting artwork on the south polar residual cap of Mars. This July 2003 Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows an example. The patterns in this picture are formed by erosion and sublimation of multiple layers of frozen carbon dioxide. The artwork is ephemeral and changing with each passing summer. By the end of the coming southern summer, the scarps in this area will have retreated an average of 3 meters (3.3 yards); some of the smaller buttes and ridges will have vanished. This picture covers an area 3 km (1.9 mi) wide and is located near 86.6°S, 358.2°W. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left.

Image Credit:

NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Image Addition Date:

2003-08-20