15 October 2005
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a frost-covered surface in the martian south polar region. As the seasonal frost begins to sublime away, local variations in surface texture-mostly dendritic cracks, in this case-lead to early defrosting in some areas. Those areas already defrosted appear dark in the image.
Location near
: 79.1°S, 340.1°W
Image width
: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from
: upper left
Season
: Southern Spring
Name | Value | Additional Values |
---|---|---|
Target | Mars | |
System | ||
Target Type | Planet | |
Mission | Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) | |
Instrument Host | Mars Global Surveyor | |
Host Type | Orbiter | |
Instrument | Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) | |
Detector | ||
Extra Keywords | Grayscale | |
Acquisition Date | ||
Release Date | 2005-10-15 | |
Date in Caption | 2005-10-15 | |
Image Credit | NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems | |
Source | photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03042 | |
Identifier | PIA03042 |