Astronomy Picture of the Day
July 22, 2012

Louth Crater (Part IV)
Louth Crater (Part IV)

Credits: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona - Credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/IPF


The current state of the Icy Deposit located inside Louth Crater is (most likely) to be one of retreat. A few small Outliers - which are well visible on the small Dunefield that characterizes the lower left portion of the Icy Main Surface Feature  - could be interpreted as "Thermodynamically Stable Patches", caused by Poleward-facing Slopes within the irregular Topography of the Crater Floor.


However, the fact that the number of these Outliers decreases as one moves away from the edge of the main Icy Deposit (despite the fact that the texture of the Crater Floor remains unchanged), suggests that these Patches could be, instead, physical remnants of a once larger extent of the Main Icy Feature.


Results of the Spectral Modeling also suggests that the Water-Ice forming the "Lake-like Feature" (such as the Icy Deposit) is 99% pure at the Optical Surface — however, it is possible that there is a greater proportion of Dark Material trapped within the Mound, perhaps in the form of Interior Layers linked to those that are visible around the edges.


Mars Local Time: 15:14 (Early Afternoon)
Coord. (centered): 70,377° North Lat. and 103,397° East Long.
Spacecraft altitude: 317,5 Km (such as about 198,4 miles)
Original image scale range: 63,5 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning) so objects ~ 1 mt and 95 cm across are resolved
Map projected scale: 50 cm/pixel
Map projection: POLAR STEREOGRAPHIC
Emission Angle: 9,3°
Phase Angle
: 56,1°
Solar Incidence Angle
: 64° (meaning that the Sun was about 26° above the Local Horizon at the time that the picture was taken)
Solar Longitude: 146,4° (Northern Summer/Southern Winter)
Credits: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona


This frame has been colorized in Absolute Natural Colors by (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and then looked down, towards the Surface of Mars), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team.


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