火星脸谱

2021年07月04日

The Face on Mars
Image Credit: NASA, Viking 1 Orbiter

Explanation: Wouldn’t it be fun if clouds were castles? Wouldn’t it be fun if the laundry on the bedroom chair was a superhero? Wouldn’t it be fun if rock mesas on Mars were interplanetary monuments to the human face? Clouds, though, are floating droplets of water and ice. Laundry is cotton, wool, or plastic, woven into garments. Famous Martian rock mesas known by names like the Face on Mars appear quite natural when seen more clearly on better images. Is reality boring? Nobody knows why some clouds make rain. Nobody knows if life ever developed on Mars. Nobody knows why the laundry on the bedroom chair smells like root beer. Scientific exploration can not only resolve mysteries, but uncover new knowledge, greater mysteries, and yet deeper questions. As humanity explores our universe, perhaps fun — through discovery — is just beginning.

Tomorrow’s picture: horse of blue

火星脸谱
影像提供: NASA, Viking 1 Orbiter

说明: 如果天空的云朵是城堡，该多好玩？如果卧室椅子上的脏衣服是超级英雄，不知该多有趣呢？如果火星上的石头台地，真的是行星际的人脸记念建筑，会不会让我们乐翻天？不过实际上，云是漂浮在天上的小水滴。衣物是棉花、羊毛或塑胶纤维所织就的。而著名的火星石头台地，虽然有“火星脸谱”的称号，不过在较清晰的影像里，看起来只是自然的景观。现实很无趣，是不？没人知道为何有些云会下雨，没人知道火星是否曾有生命，也没人知道为何卧室里的脏衣服闻起像沙士。科学探索不但可以解开谜团，也会发掘出新知识、更大的谜团、及更深入的问题。随着人类持续探索宇宙，或许与发现俱来的乐趣才刚开头呢。

明日的图片: horse of blue