Starburst Channels
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Starburst Channels
PSP_003443_0980  Science Theme: Seasonal Processes
This caption is part of a December 2007 AGU presentation “Spring at the South Pole of Mars.”

Translucent carbon dioxide ice covers the polar regions of Mars seasonally. It is warmed and sublimates (evaporates) from below, and escaping gas carves a numerous channel morphologies.

In this example the channels form a “starburst” pattern, radiating out into feathery extensions. The center of the pattern is being buried with dust and new darker dust fans ring the outer edges. This may be an example of an expanding morphology, where new channels are formed as the older ones fill and are no longer efficiently channeling the subliming gas out.

Written by: Candy Hansen  (12 December 2007)

 
Acquisition date
21 April 2007

Local Mars time
16:51

Latitude (centered)
-81.809°

Longitude (East)
76.170°

Spacecraft altitude
247.0 km (153.5 miles)

Original image scale range
24.7 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~74 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel

Map projection
Polarstereographic

Emission angle
1.1°

Phase angle
69.9°

Solar incidence angle
71°, with the Sun about 19° above the horizon

Solar longitude
223.4°, Northern Autumn

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  110°
Sub-solar azimuth:  33.5°
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   (1330MB)

IRB color
map-projected   (672MB)

JP2 EXTRAS
Black and white
map-projected  (890MB)
non-map           (960MB)

IRB color
map projected  (379MB)
non-map           (720MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (334MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (309MB)

RGB color
non map           (638MB)
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.