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.
2016 August 24 
Posted on 08/24/2016 5:51:06 AM PDT by ThomasMore
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.
2016 August 24
Explanation: What are these unusual lumps on Mars? As NASA's robotic Curiosity rover continues rolling across Mars, it is now approaching Murray Buttes. Several of the 15-meter high buttes are visible ahead in this horizontally compressed 360-degree across image taken inside Gale Crater earlier this month. The buttes are thought similar to Earth buttes in that they are capped with dense rock that is relatively resistant to erosion. In the image center is Curiosity's "arm" and "hand" used to examine rocks up close, drill into rocks, and collect samples. Curiosity has reached its four year anniversary on Mars and has been cleared to spend the next two years further exploring the slopes of Mount Sharp, the peak of which is the distant light-colored structure visible on the far left.
(Excerpt) Read more at apod.nasa.gov ...
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Thank you ThomasMore truely amazing every photo this week!
Can I be honest about what I think?
We have seen amazing things since the Apollo days, I was a kid but it brought the Nation together like nothing else!
They may or may not find evidence of water on Mars but they will never figure out what starts life until they admit that there is a God.
You Freeps know. Keep Praying.....: )
(I know so early in the morning but there it is)
The posted image is very horizontally compressed giving an initial distorted view.
Clicking on the image until it is full size reveals that the ‘buttes’ are or look like they are composed of sedimentary layers, like they are the remains of what was once an ocean or lake bottom. Their present shapes could have been caused by wind erosion or even by water erosion in the past, even both.
But the most interesting aspect is not the rocks/buttes, but the blue sky - NASA recently and quietly dropped the forced red color which has been in use since the very first images were returned form the surface. NASA is also now showing the Martian surface in true color having removed the red filter used in prior images.
That said, there is an anomalous metallic looking object to the right of the rover’s boom. Unfortunately, the download resolution is only 72dpi so there is no way to get fine detail on the object. There are also some possible interesting objects on the left side of the boom but there is little detail in the image.
I agree.
The excitement (especially for young people) aspect of space exploration, and the sense of national pride and purpose, will never be attained by robot explorers.
Only humans will be able to do that.
Fiddle - it’s a conspiracy. I’ve seen those exact scenes on a drive through NM and AZ. Mars lander, indeed.
Is that enough detail?.................
I think I see a road runner.
I am a believer and agree with you.
darn! it’s been logged already!
Desert Planet : DUNE! without the sand...lol
Is that Rust on the Arm ?
Resolution is not detail - details are what resoultion makes visible. And no, the image is a low resolution (72 dpi) despite its size.
Will they get to Mars before I die?
How cool is that to think about?
Born 1962-—It used to be a good thing to brag about.
NOW THAT IS FUNNY!!!
Now its just middle aged....; )
I’ve wondered that, too.
To look at them, you’d have to suggest at least the possibility of water erosion - LOTS of water.
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Going to APOD and clicking on the image to get the uncompressed panoramic view is definitely worthwhile.
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This "anomalous metallic looking object"?
It certainly is anomalous -- lying there, atop that field of flat, planar slabs. And the "metallic" luster appear to be reflecting the blue of the sky you mentioned. Almost makes one suspect it might be a metallic meteorite...
FWIW -- to me, that whole area definitely looks sedimentary and water-eroded. In fact, if I were in West Texas, I would be inspecting the base of the "caprock" on those buttes (where it intersects the talus slope) for eroded "rockshelters" that had been occupied by prehistoric Texans...
Yep that one - the metallic object with an unnatural shape - definitely not a meteorite to me, but something else, maybe machined - like the dozens, perhaps hundreds of other anomalous metallic objects seen in other images.
Ever wonder why both Mars and the Moon have two differentiated sides with a sharp boundary - one side with many many craters and the other nearly smooth with few craters? They both look as though someone shot two round balls with a shotgun-like effect.
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