More interesting data from our web statistics: rankings of the most popular images on our website. Some you’d expect to get lots of hits: special campaigns like Phoenix lander hardware and Phobos, and of course old favorites like a certain feature in Cydonia. Others have made a splash in the news, like the avalanche caught in action and a deep pit that might be the entrance to a cave – whether their popularity on our website is a cause or effect of the media coverage.

I find it interesting to see which “regular” images, out of the thousands we’ve taken, caught people’s attention – in May, for example, gullies in a crater wall and ridges in Huo Hsing Vallis (left) were popular. June saw lots of hits on this beautiful image of the north polar layered deposits (above) and this image of delicate-looking, multi-tendriled slope streaks.

In July, the “Mystery Mounds” (PSP_008778_1685 and PSP_008548_2205) were popular, presumably because they are so “mysterious” – ? (By the way, these two areas, despite their similar titles, are nowhere near each other on Mars.) Lesson learned: We should give more of our images “sexy” titles.

Here are 64 observations from the 1600 block of PSP street. Additionally, I have updated my three previous posts with images I missed the first time around.

Show Images

PSP_001656_2175 is perhaps the most striking of the group, with prominent slope streaks. Slope streaks are also visible in PSP_001644_1715.

My personal favorites are the dune images: PSP_001608_2560 and PSP_001660_2570.

Two images have the “glow” problem: PSP_001662_1195 and PSP_001697_2570.