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Mars - August 10th, 2003

Webcam images (left) and calculated images (right) for comparison:

The above images of Mars were taken during the opposition in August 2003, when Mars got extremely near to earth. The images at right are a correctly rotated comparison image which were calculated by CalSKY for the date and time of exposure, they show the albedo features at high resolution.

Many features can be identified in the webcam images. Most prominent is the white southern pole cap, which was especially large in August 2003. The bright orange-colored plane which covers most of the images is the Tharsis Plateau which features 4 great volcanos. Olympus Mons, the largest mountain in the whole Solar System, which rises 24 km above the surrounding plane, is evident as light spot in the CalSKY images (suggesting an orographic cloud on top of the volcano), is only very faintly apparent in the lower (2:01 MESZ) webcam image, with some degree of uncertainty. The darker-colored albedo features near the bottom are designated Mare Sirenum (left), Mare Australe (center, near the pole cap) and Solis Lacus (the dark patch at right). At the rightest most image corner, the giant canyon system of the Valles Marineris is discernible, the albedo feature there is called Tithonius Lacus.

Many albedo features do not represent topographic surface structures on Mars, they are just large areas of differently colored material which covers the planet's surface.

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© 2010 Walter Koprolin