HiRISE | A Burst of Spring (ESP_016032

NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

A Burst of Spring
ESP_016032_2600 Science Theme: Seasonal Processes

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In the winter a layer of carbon dioxide ice (dry ice) covers the north polar sand dunes. In the spring the sublimation of the ice (going directly from ice to gas) causes a host of uniquely Martian phenomena.

In this subimage streaks of dark basaltic sand have been carried from below the ice layer to form fan-shaped deposits on top of the seasonal ice. The similarity in the directions of the fans suggests that they formed at the same time, when the wind direction and speed was the same. They often form along the boundary between the dune and the surface below the dunes.

Written by: Candy Hansen (10 March 2010)

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Acquisition date:	27 December 2009	Local Mars time:	1:50 PM
Latitude (centered):	79.982 degrees	Longitude (East):	122.529 degrees
Range to target site:	319.0 km (199.4 miles)	Original image scale range:	31.9 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~96 cm across are resolved
Map projected scale:	25 cm/pixel	Map projection:	POLAR STEREOGRAPHIC
Emission angle:	2.6 degrees	Phase angle:	67.3 degrees
Solar incidence angle:	69 degrees, with the Sun about 21 degrees above the horizon	Solar longitude:	29.7 degrees, Northern Spring
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North azimuth:	105 degrees	Sub-solar azimuth:	312.3 degrees
For map-projected products
North azimuth:	147.4 degrees	Sub solar azimuth:	356.4 degrees

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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: Image: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

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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.