The waves of blue sand that appear to litter the Martian landscape make the Red Planet even stranger than usual.
However, the amazing color is not what it seems. You have to look a little deeper than her makeup to see the true beauty.
Photographed by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter earlier this year, the scene was processed in what’s known as ‘false colour’, converting completely different wavelengths of light into stunning palettes that we can use to help Can’t but can’t tell the difference.
This enhancement looks stunningly beautiful, it’s true, but it’s not just to move Mars up a bit. Processing the data in this way highlights contrasts in terrain and features on the Martian surface, giving planetary scientists a great tool for understanding geological and atmospheric processes far below MRO’s orbital altitude.
The region imaged here by MRO is Gamboa Crater in the Northern Hemisphere of Mars. Photographed in stunning resolution, each pixel represents 25 cm (9.8 inches).
At the top of many large hills the smallest waves are only a few feet apart. At some point they merge to form small mounds that extend outwards from the dune flower for a distance of 10 m (30 ft).
Brightly colored in blue, it is easy to distinguish the characteristic patterns of these structures in the middle between the sea of waves and the large, sandy waves.
Known as Transverse Aeolian Ridges, or TARs, these medium-sized structures are composed of very coarse-grained sand. According to NASA, the large dunes and the enhanced color of the TARs suggest a continuous erosion process.
“Megaripples appear blue-green on one side of a better colored cutout while TAR appears brighter blue on the other,” a spokesperson wrote on NASA’s website.
“This may be because the TARs are actively moving under the force of the wind, clearing deep dust and making them brighter.
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All these different features could indicate when Which way was the wind blowing when it was made? Being close to each other allows us to see their relationships and compare and contrast properties to examine what they are made of and how they were made. are.”
Sometimes all you need is a little cognitive shift to learn something new… and gain a little more appreciation for the wonders of the universe.
