Mars From Afar
click and drag in the image to rotate the planet (requires QuickTime)
The Planet, Again
This QuickTime VR, or full-round panorama, was created from a
photo-mosaic of images captured over a five-year period by the
Viking orbiters in the 1970s. The smooth areas of the globe are
geologically younger than the cratered areas, which are ancient. In
places, cliffs of up to a mile and a quarter in height separate the
two areas. Some Mars experts speculate that water may have once
covered the Northern Hemisphere, which is smoother and younger than
the Southern. Note bright and dark streaks on the martian surface;
these point to active wind processes on Mars.
1.3MB; requires free
QuickTime plugin
software
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