MRO

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) captured this bit of ursine pareidolia on Dec. 12, 2022. While it resembles a bear we might see on Earth, this is actually a hill on Mars with a peculiar shape. A V-shaped collapse structure makes the nose, two craters form the eyes, and a circular fracture pattern shapes the head. The circular fracture pattern might be due to the settling of a deposit over a buried impact crater. Launched on August 12, 2015, the MRO studies the history of water on Mars and observes small-scale features on the planet’s surface. See more examples of pareidolia—the human tendency to see recognizable shapes in unfamiliar objects or data—from Mars. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona 2022年12月12日，火星勘测轨道飞行器（MRO）于2022年12月12日拍摄了这张熊的幻想性视错觉。虽然它很像我们在地球上看到的熊，但这实际上是火星上一座形状奇特的小山。V形塌陷结构形成了鼻子，两个弹坑形成了眼睛，圆形断裂图案形成了头部。圆形断裂模式可能是由于沉积物在埋藏的撞击坑上沉降造成的。 MRO于2015年8月12日发射，研究火星上的水的历史，并观察火星表面的小尺度特征。请看更多关于空想的例子——人类倾向于在不熟悉的物体或数据中看到可识别的形状。 图片来源：NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

The Martian ice cap is like a cake with every layer telling a story. In this case, the story is one of climate change on Mars. This image of an exposed section of the north polar layered deposits (NPLD) looks much like a delicious slice of layered tiramisu. The NPLD is made up of water-ice and dust particles stacked one on top of the other. However, instead of icing, layers are topped with seasonal carbon dioxide frost, as seen here as lingering frost adhering to one of the layers. The high-resolution and color capabilities of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s HiRISE camera provides details on the variations in the layers. Scientists are also using radar data, which show us that they have continuity in the subsurface….

Gullies on Mars form during the winter, fluidized by carbon dioxide frost, and scientists monitor sites on the planet for activity throughout the year. In this mid-winter scene, a Martian gully is almost completely frosted over the pole-facing slope within the shadow. The map is projected here at a scale of 50 centimeters (19.7 inches) per pixel. (The original image scale is 50.5 centimeters [19.9 inches] per pixel [with 2 x 2 binning]; objects on the order of 152 centimeters [59.8 inches] across are resolved.) North is up. NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched August 12, 2005, continuously monitors the Red Planet from orbit and continues in its mission to search for evidence that water persisted on the surface of Mars for a long period of…

This image taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft shows sedimentary rock and sand within Danielson Crater, an impact crater about 42 miles or 67 kilometers in diameter, located in the southwest Arabia Terra region of Mars. The rock was formed millions or billions of years ago when loose sediments settled into the crater, one layer at a time, and were later cemented in place. Cyclical variations in the sediment properties made some layers more resistant to erosion than others. After eons, these tougher layers protrude outward like stair steps. Across these steps, the winds have scattered sand (typically appearing darker and less red, i.e. “bluer” in contrast-enhanced color), giving rise to the zebra stripe-like patterns visible here. This image completes a stereo pair over…