Photo of the day: blue dunes on the Red Planet
The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has presented a magnificent view of the Martian surface: the image captures bizarre dunes.
The photo was published to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Mars Odyssey research orbiter. This uncrewed station was launched on April 7, 2001, and entered Mars orbit in October of the same year.
To date, Mars Odyssey is the longest-lived spacecraft designed to study the Red Planet. It carries onboard the THEMIS (Thermal Emission Imaging System) instrument, designed for multispectral imaging of the surface of Mars in the visible and infrared parts of the spectrum. It was with the help of this tool that the released picture was made.
The image has undergone computer processing – the surface of the Red Planet is shown in modified colors. Bluish areas have a lower temperature than yellow-orange ribbed formations.
The image covers an area approximately 30 kilometers across. It is noted that the unusual formations were formed under the influence of winds. Below you can see the photo in full size – click to enlarge:
