保护地球，探索宇宙，发现文明
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 ...
This image taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft’s HIRISE instrument on Oct. 23, 2022, of the northern plains of Arabia Terra shows craters that contain curious deposits with mysterious shapes and distribution. For instance, the deposits are located on the south sides of the craters, but not usually in the north, and are found only in craters l...
Though Mars is the Red Planet, false-color images can help us learn about its weather and geology. This image shows a variety of wind-related features on the Red Planet near the center of Gamboa Crater. Larger sand dunes form sinuous crests and individual domes. There are tiny ripples on the tops of the dunes, only several feet from crest-to-crest. These mer...
2021年02月27日 Perseverance Landing Site from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Explanation: Seen from orbit a day after a dramatic arrival on the martian surface, the Perseverance landing site is identified in this high-resolution view from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The orbiter’s camera image also reveals the location...
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 ...
2020 March 1 A Hole in Mars Image Credit: NASA, JPL, U. Arizona Explanation: What created this unusual hole in Mars? The hole was discovered by chance in 2011 on images of the dusty slopes of Mars’ Pavonis Mons volcano taken by the HiRISE instrument aboard the robotic Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter currently circling Mars. The hole, shown in representativ...
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 origin...
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...