Starburst Spider
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Starburst Spider
ESP_011842_0980  Science Theme: Seasonal Processes
Mars’ seasonal cap of carbon dioxide ice (dry ice) has eroded many beautiful terrains as it sublimates (goes directly from ice to vapor) every spring. In this region we see troughs that form a starburst pattern.

In other areas these radial troughs have been referred to as “spiders,” simply because of their shape. In this region the pattern looks more dendritic as channels branch out numerous times as they get further from the center. The troughs are believed to be formed by gas flowing beneath the seasonal ice to openings where the gas escapes, carrying along dust from the surface below. The dust falls to the surface of the ice in fan-shaped deposits.

Written by: Candy Hansen  (25 March 2009)
 
Acquisition date
04 February 2009

Local Mars time
16:56

Latitude (centered)
-81.802°

Longitude (East)
76.145°

Spacecraft altitude
247.5 km (153.8 miles)

Original image scale range
49.7 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~149 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
50 cm/pixel

Map projection
Polarstereographic

Emission angle
4.9°

Phase angle
82.2°

Solar incidence angle
78°, with the Sun about 12° above the horizon

Solar longitude
203.6°, Northern Autumn

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  108°
Sub-solar azimuth:  31.2°
JPEG
Black and white
map projected  non-map

IRB color
map projected  non-map

Merged IRB
map projected

Merged RGB
map projected

RGB color
non-map projected

JP2
Black and white
map-projected   (365MB)

IRB color
map-projected   (186MB)

JP2 EXTRAS
Black and white
map-projected  (236MB)
non-map           (252MB)

IRB color
map projected  (103MB)
non-map           (215MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (374MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (338MB)

RGB color
non map           (194MB)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
B&W label
Color label
Merged IRB label
Merged RGB label
EDR products
HiView

NB
IRB: infrared-red-blue
RGB: red-green-blue
About color products (PDF)

Black & white is 5 km across; enhanced color about 1 km
For scale, use JPEG/JP2 black & white map-projected images

USAGE POLICY
All of the images produced by HiRISE and accessible on this site are within the public domain: there are no restrictions on their usage by anyone in the public, including news or science organizations. We do ask for a credit line where possible:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

POSTSCRIPT
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona.