Starburst Fans
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Starburst Fans
ESP_011341_0980  Science Theme: Seasonal Processes
During the Martian winter a layer of carbon dioxide ice (dry ice) forms a seasonal cap over the polar region. In the spring--when the sun starts to warm the ice and the surface below--gas escapes from beneath the ice layer, carrying dust with it.

The dust is deposited on top of the ice in fans, with an orientation determined by the prevailing wind direction. In this region, the gas flows along radial channels, so that when it emerges we see a circular set of dust fans. These inspire the "starburst" description.



Written by: Candy Hansen  (25 February 2009)
 
Acquisition date
27 December 2008

Local Mars time
17:06

Latitude (centered)
-81.797°

Longitude (East)
76.130°

Spacecraft altitude
246.9 km (153.4 miles)

Original image scale range
49.4 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~148 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
50 cm/pixel

Map projection
Polarstereographic

Emission angle
0.3°

Phase angle
88.0°

Solar incidence angle
88°, with the Sun about 2° above the horizon

Solar longitude
180.8°, Northern Autumn

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  110°
Sub-solar azimuth:  32.3°
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   (313MB)

IRB color
map-projected   (141MB)

JP2 EXTRAS
Black and white
map-projected  (220MB)
non-map           (220MB)

IRB color
map projected  (95MB)
non-map           (172MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (323MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (313MB)

RGB color
non map           (186MB)
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.