PIA08437: Polar Plumage
This NASA Mars Global Surveyor image shows dunes in the north polar region of Mars covered by a layer of carbon dioxide frost that accumulated during the winter in 2005. Dark spots indicate areas where frost has begun to sublime away.
 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:  1024 x 2520 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  Malin Space Science Systems 
 Producer ID:  MOC2-1456  
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA08437.tif (2.583 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA08437.jpg (307.1 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:

8 May 2006
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows dunes in the north polar region of Mars. The dunes in this scene are covered by a layer of carbon dioxide frost that accumulated during the winter in 2005. Dark spots indicate areas where frost has begun to sublime away. In summer, the dune field will be dark, as all of the frost will be gone and the iron- and magnesium-bearing silicate sands will be exposed.

Location near: 81.9°N, 226.1°W
Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from: lower left
Season: Northern Spring

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Image Addition Date:
2006-05-08