Southern Spring (2007)
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Southern Spring (2007)
PSP_003193_0850  Science Theme: Seasonal Processes
Southern spring sunshine is causing the seasonal carbon dioxide cap at the south pole to evaporate. This process happens fitfully, as small and large spots expose bare ground, which warms up, causing small spots to grow.

The defrosting areas are controlled by small scale differences in topography, which cause some areas of frost to be sheltered longer than others. Once dust has accessed the surface it is blown in directions controlled by the local winds, making a distinctive fan. When the wind changes direction the fans broaden or may show multiple orientations.

It has also been proposed that dust is carried to the top of translucent seasonal carbon dioxide ice by release of gas held under pressure by the ice cap. When the pressure is released, like pulling the cork out of a champagne bottle, the gas escapes, carrying dust with it.

Original release: April 2007.


Written by: Candy Hansen  (25 April 2007)
 
Acquisition date
02 April 2007

Local Mars time
00:49

Latitude (centered)
-85.161°

Longitude (East)
180.033°

Spacecraft altitude
245.7 km (152.7 miles)

Original image scale range
49.6 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
8.7°

Phase angle
74.8°

Solar incidence angle
82°, with the Sun about 8° above the horizon

Solar longitude
211.4°, Northern Autumn

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  227°
Sub-solar azimuth:  34.9°
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   (493MB)

IRB color
map-projected   (278MB)

JP2 EXTRAS
Black and white
map-projected  (321MB)
non-map           (331MB)

IRB color
map projected  (137MB)
non-map           (243MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (477MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (444MB)

RGB color
non map           (219MB)
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.