HiRISE | A Polar Smile (ESP_039115

NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

A Polar Smile
ESP_039115_0945 Science Theme: Climate Change

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This image represents one of many monitoring sites at the South Pole residual cap (SPRC). Images are taken throughout the Martian year to document changes in carbon dioxide ice coverage.

This image shows a popular spot where one of the features resembles a smiley face that is approximately 500 meters across. If you smile at Mars, sometimes it smiles back.

Written by: Livio Tornabene, Ryan Hopkins, Kayle Hansen, Eric Pilles (narration: Tre Gibbs) (7 January 2015)

Acquisition date
30 November 2014

Local Mars time
17:53

Latitude (centered)
-85.662°

Longitude (East)
6.331°

Spacecraft altitude
249.1 km (154.8 miles)

Original image scale range
from 24.9 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 49.9 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning)

Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel

Map projection
Polarstereographic

Emission angle
0.7°

Phase angle
67.0°

Solar incidence angle
68°, with the Sun about 22° above the horizon

Solar longitude
243.4°, Northern Autumn

For non-map projected images
North azimuth: 127°
Sub-solar azimuth: 36.6°

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   (361MB)

IRB color
map-projected   (248MB)

JP2 EXTRAS
Black and white
map-projected (143MB)
non-map           (124MB)

IRB color
map projected (51MB)
non-map           (220MB)

Merged IRB
map projected (88MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected (80MB)

RGB color
non map           (189MB)

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.