PIA05912: Martian "Brain"


Martian “Brain”

Caption:

5 May 2004
Most middle-latitude craters on Mars have strange landforms on their floors. Often, the floors have pitted and convoluted features that lack simple explanation. In this case, the central part of the crater floor shown in this 2004 Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image bears some resemblance to the folded nature of a brain. Or not. It depends upon the "eye of the beholder," perhaps. The light-toned "ring" around the "brain" feature is more easily explained--windblown ripples and dunes. The crater occurs near 33.1°S, 91.2°W, and is illuminated from the upper left. The picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 mi) across.

Cataloging Keywords:

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 Crater, Dune, Grayscale
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2004-05-05
Date in Caption 2004-05-05
Image Credit NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05912
Identifier PIA05912