No, it’s not the back of a Nestle Crunch bar…it’s a photo of a region on Mars known as “Ariadnes Colles”. This lumpy, rock-filled landscape is called chaos terrain, and in other areas of Mars is usually attributed to water erosion but in this case it’s believed that wind is the source. The image above…
Shadow Facts
A moon’s shadow falls upon ring after ring in this image, taken on April 29 by Cassini. Varying brightnesses and compositions of ring segments scatter light differently, as shown above. With Saturn’s spring equinox (August 11) getting closer every day, the ringplane – and orbital plane of many of its moons – are approaching a perpendicular…
Waves of Sand
Like rust-colored ocean waves frozen in mid-motion, miniature sand dunes sit at the base of Pioneer Mound in this panoramic image, taken by the Spirit rover last month and assembled here by James Canvin. Spirit has recently started traveling again after a two-week hiatus while engineers on the MER team tried to diagnose some…
Streaming Along
Another animation, this time from April 24, 2009, made from 116 raw images from the Cassini spacecraft. The orbiting Cassini focused its camera on Prometheus as it dipped into the F ring and back out again, pulling the icy dust into wispy strands with its passing. Prometheus’ oblong shape can be seen clearly here…it…
An Occult Event
This past Thursday, April 23, skywatchers were treated to a special event: the moon occulting (hiding) Venus. During the early morning hours (exact time depending on location) the crescent moon passed across Venus, obscuring it from Earth’s view. This image was taken by David Cortner, a photographer in North Carolina. It shows a large-scale…
On The Road Again
The Mars Exploration Rover Spirit resumed driving this past Thursday after over two weeks of inactivity at its position northeast of Home Plate. The image above shows a small hill informally known as “Von Braun”, and will be investigated more in the months ahead. Spirit has been behaving erratically this month, resetting itself, forgetting…
A Rainbow of Rings
Saturn’s amazing and beautiful rings cast their shadow over its cloud tops, dividing its north and south hemispheres in this image from Cassini. The spacecraft was 621,000 miles from the planet when it took this picture on February 28, 2009. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Focus!
At first glance it may seem as if the University of Arizona’s HiRISE camera needs a little focus adjustment. But notice the few scattered little impact craters and dune ripples in this image and you’ll realize there’s nothing wrong with the focus—it’s the surface of Mars that’s blurry here!
Regarding a Ring
Made from 127 raw images received from the Cassini spacecraft on April 17th, this sequence shows the varied structure of the F ring as it is influenced by passing moons, clumps of material and its own twisted composition. Initially calm, with only background stars marking the passage of time, a passing moon outside the…
No Such Thing as Global Warming?
Tell that to the Wilkins Ice Shelf. At least 10,000 years old, the 1/3 mile wide span of ice that linked Antarctica to nearby Charcot Island broke apart on April 5, 2009, as expected by scientists watching worldwide. This collapse opens a path for icebergs from the rest of the disintegrating swath of ice…
To The Moon
This HD video is a wonderful overview of JAXA’s Kaguya SELENE (SELenological and ENgineering Explorer) mission, currently in orbit around the moon. After an amazing launch on September 14, 2007, shown here in stunning high definition, the probe entered orbit around the moon and deployed two remote satellites which communicate with the main probe. This mission…
Do You Heart Mars?
Well, Mars hearts you. This 1.25-mile-long crater was photographed by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on February 26, 2008. It lies on the western edge of the Hydaspis Chaos region, an area of jumbled depressions thought to be caused by the sudden release of groundwater. Click to see a larger shot of the area. Other heart-shaped…
Lights in the Dark 