Astronomy Picture of the Day - The Gator-Back Rocks of Mars

APOD.NASA.gov ^ | 15 Apr, 2022 | Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS

[MtnClimber]

Explanation: Wind-sharpened rocks known as ventifacts cover this broad sloping plain in the foot hills of Mount Sharp, Gale crater, Mars. Dubbed gator-back rocks their rugged, scaly appearance is captured in these digitally stitched Mastcam frames from the Curiosity rover on mission sol 3,415 (March 15, 2022). Driving over gator-back rocks before has resulted in damage to the rover's wheels, so Curiosity team members decided to turn around and take another path to continue the rover's climb. Curiosity has been on an ascent of Gale crater's central 5.5 kilometer high mountain since 2014. As it climbs, the durable rover has been able to explore layers shaped by water on Mars billions of years ago.

[MtnClimber]

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For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

[MtnClimber]

[MtnClimber]

Pinging the APOD list.

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

[Does so]

Here be Dragons...

[Telepathic Intruder]

"their rugged, scaly appearance"

No, those are actual scales. It's a giant Martian dragon, sleeping just below the surface. Curiosity drove around it because NASA didn't want to wake it up. They know that dragons cause dust storms, but are hiding the fact. A good conspiracy theorist knows that what NASA says figuratively should be taken literally, and vice versa. As long as it fits the theory.

[BenLurkin]

Interesting

[Kolb]

Mars is fascinating. If you like Mars as a topic of study there are some great youtube videos of imagery returned by Curiosity and Perseverance. Check out the Frames by Rado channel.

[AFB-XYZ]

Some of our locals here would be out there with their ATVs faster than you-know-what through a goose if they got half a chance. :-)

[AFB-XYZ]

No, those are actual scales. It's a giant Martian dragon, sleeping just below the surface.

Cthulhu's trained poodle.

[CodeToad]

I would.

[Telepathic Intruder]

I’ve never read Lovecraft. Seriously, the nearly airless environment produces a lot of bizarre effects on an otherwise earth-like planet. There is still wind, but almost no substance to it, so it acts more like an invisible force. Red Mars is a pretty good sci-fi detailing some of it, the first part anyway before the terraforming. You have to ignore the author’s communist leanings, though. And forget the sequels.

[norwaypinesavage]

"It's a giant Martian dragon, sleeping just below the surface."

What's really scary is when they do wake up they fly in their UFOs and terrorize earth.

[Telepathic Intruder]

Over here, we call that swamp gas.

[Red Badger]