HiRISE | Starburst Spider (ESP_011842

NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Starburst Spider
ESP_011842_0980 Science Theme: Seasonal Processes

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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)

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Acquisition date:	04 February 2009	Local Mars time:	4:56 PM
Latitude (centered):	-81.802 degrees	Longitude (East):	76.145 degrees
Range to target site:	248.3 km (155.2 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:	POLAR STEREOGRAPHIC
Emission angle:	4.9 degrees	Phase angle:	82.2 degrees
Solar incidence angle:	78 degrees, with the Sun about 12 degrees above the horizon	Solar longitude:	203.6 degrees, Northern Autumn
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North azimuth:	108 degrees	Sub-solar azimuth:	31.2 degrees
For map-projected products
North azimuth:	346.1 degrees	Sub solar azimuth:	270.5 degrees

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For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit: http://www.nasa.gov. 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. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona. The image data were processed using the U.S. Geological Survey’s ISIS3 software.