Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2004 July 14
See Explanation.  Clicking on the picture will download
 the highest resolution version available.

Polar Polygons on Mars
Credit & Copyright: Malin Space Science Systems, MOC, MGS, JPL, NASA

Explanation: What's the best way to the city center? What looks like a street map of some city on Earth is actually a series of naturally-formed fragmented polar polygons on Mars. The existence of polar polygons on Mars is particularly interesting as they may indicate regions where water ice lies within a few meters of the surface. Similar looking polygons are commonly found in the arctic and Antarctic of Earth, where they typically form from a repetitive cycle of freezing and thawing. The above image spans a distance of about 3 kilometers and was taken recently by the orbiting Mars Global Surveyor.

Tomorrow's picture: dusty southern crown


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