The Dunes Of Mars
Explanation:
The North Pole of Mars
is ringed by a "sea of sand dunes".
For Mars' Northern Hemisphere,
Spring began in mid July and
increased sunlight is now shrinking the polar cap
revealing the
wind-swept dunes to the cameras onboard the
Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft.
North is up in
this recently released
close-up which covers a region about
1.2 miles across at 77 degrees
Northern Martian Latitude.
These
dunes have been formed by winds generally blowing from the
Southwest and are still covered with scattered white patches
of carbon dioxide frost.
Near the end of January 1999
Summer will begin and offer even
clearer views of Northern dunes
of Mars.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
