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PSP_007805_2505-PCF-LXTT-IPF-00.jpgFrost all over Louth Crater (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga - Lunexit Team)87 visiteThis image shows the changing Seasonal Frost Patterns on Louth Crater, located at about 70° North Latitude, in the Martian Region of Vastitas Borealis. This Crater contains a Mound (---> terrapieno) covered by Water Frost that persists throughout the year (which is an unusual circumstance for this Latitude); however, even the Seasonal Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Frost deposited during the Northern Winter can reach such a Latitude. At the time this image was acquired (such as during the Northern Spring), the Carbon Dioxide Frost was in the process of sublimating back into the Martian Atmosphere. Note that there are Sand Dunes near the edge of the Mound, which become clear of Frost in the Summer.
Mars Local Time: 14:32 (Early Afternoon)
Coord. (centered): 70,228° North Lat. and 103,538° East Long.
Spacecraft altitude: 316,2 Km (such as about 197,6 miles)
Original image scale range: 31,6 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~ 95 cm across are resolved
Map projected scale: 25 cm/pixel
Map projection: POLAR STEREOGRAPHIC
Emission Angle: 1,7°
Sun - Mars - MRO (or "Phase") Angle: 54,7°
Solar Incidence Angle: 56° (meaning that the Sun is about 34° above the Local Horizon)
Solar Longitude: 50,3° (Northern Spring - Southern Autumn)
Credits: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
Additional process. and coloring: Lunar Explorer ItaliaMareKromium
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Ganymede-V1-PIA02278-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgFeatures of Ganymede (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)87 visiteThis picture of Ganymede was taken by the NASA - Voyager 1 Spacecraft on the afternoon of March 5, 1979, from a range of about 253.000 Km (such as approx. 151.800 miles). The picture, that is centered at about 66° South Latitude and 3° East Longitude, shows a portion of the South Western Limb Region of Ganymede. The smallest visible Surface Features are about 2,5 Km (roughly 1,5 miles) across. The Surface of this moon shows numerous ancient Impact Craters, many of which - like we have recently seen on Planet Mercury , thanks to the NASA - Messenger Spacecraft and Orbiter - have extensive Bright Ray Systems. The light Bands that we can see crossing the whole Surface of Ganymede contain alternating bright and dark lines which, probably, represent deformation of the Icy Material that form them. Despite the NASA - Voyager 1 Spacecraft data, some evidence relevant to the existence of a tenuous Oxygen-based Atmosphere (---> a so-called "Exosphere") on Ganymede (an Exhosphere which, by the way, very similar to the one found on the other Jovian moon Europa), was discovered by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in the AD 1995. The HST actually observed an Airglow of Atomic Oxygen in the far-UltraViolet at the wavelengths of 130,4 and 135,6 nanometers. Such an Airglow is excited when Molecular Oxygen gets dissociated by way of Electron Impacts (and that phenomenon is a further evidence about the existence of a significant Neutral Atmosphere around Ganymede, which is predominantly composed of O2 molecules). The Oxygen, however, is not a direct evidence of the presence, on Ganymede, of some possible Earth-like Lifeforms; as a matter of fact, the Oxigen that we find in the Atmosphere of this huge moon, is thought to be produced the when Water Ice that is largely present on the Surface of Ganymede gets split into Hydrogen and Oxygen through the action of Radiation, with the Hydrogen being more rapidly lost in the circum-Ganymedian Space due to its low Atomic Mass. Furthermore, the Airglow observed over Ganymede is not spatially homogeneous like the one existing over Europa. The HST also observed two bright spots located in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres of Ganymede, near ± 50° of Latitude, which is exactly the Boundary Region between the Open and the Closed Field Lines of the Ganymedian Magnetosphere. These bright spots, according to our present day knowledge, could have probably been tWO Ganymedian Polar Auroras, caused by Plasma Precipitation along the Open Field Lines of its Magnetosphere. The NASA - Voyager 1 Spacecraft Original b/w frame has been additionally processed and then colorized, according to an informed speculation carried out by Dr Paolo C. Fienga (LXTT-IPF), in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Voyager 1 Spacecraft and then looked outside, towards the Jovian moon Ganymede), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team. Different colors, as well as different shades of the same color, mean, among others, the existence of different Elements present on the Surface of Ganymede, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.MareKromium
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OPP-SOL3064-Spherules-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgCompacted Spherules at "Kirkwood" - Sol 3046 (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)87 visiteCaption NASA:"Small Spherical Objects fill the field in this mosaic combining 4 (four) images from the Microscopic Imager onboard the NASA - Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity. The view covers an area about 2,4" (inches, such as about 6 centimeters) across, at a Rocky Outcrop known as "Kirkwood" and located in the Cape York Segment of the Western Rim of Endeavour Crater. The individual Spherules are up to about one-eighth of one inch (such as approx. 3 millimeters) in diameter. The Microscopic Imager took the component images during the 3064th Martian Day, or Sol, of Opportunity's work on Mars (such as September 6, 2012).
It has to be remembered that the MER Opportunity already discovered Martian Spherules at its Landing Site, more than eight-and-a-half years ago and those Spherules were nicknamed "Blueberries". They provided important evidence about long gone "Wet Environmental Conditions" on Mars because researchers using Opportunity's science instruments identified them as "Rocky Concretions" rich in the Mineral Hematite deposited by Water saturating the Bedrock.
However, the Spherules at Kirkwood do not have the Iron-rich composition of the Blueberries and they also differ in concentration, distribution and structure. Some of the Spherules in this image have been partially eroded away, revealing a "Concentric Internal Structure". Opportunity's Science Team plans to use Opportunity for further investigation of these Spherules in order to determine what evidence they can provide about the (VERY) ancient Martian Environmental Conditions.MareKromium
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SOL0133-PIA16564-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgSnake River - Sol 133 (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)87 visiteThe sinuous Rock Feature visible in the lower center and left (Sx) side of this mosaic of frames recorded by the NASA - Mars Exploration Rover (MER) - Mars Laboratory "Curiosity" has been nicknamed "Snake River" (and we honestly believe that, once you notice the actual physical configuration of the Rocky Feature that is now under a - relatively - close observation, the reason of the nickname will result more than obvious...).
The images forming the mosaic were taken by Curiosity's Navigation Camera (NavCam) during the 133rd Martian Day, or Sol, of the Rover's Mission in Gale Crater - Mars (such as December, 20th, 2012). On Sol 147 (such as January, 3rd, 2013), the NASA - Mars Exploration Rover (MER) - Mars Laboratory "Curiosity" drove about 10 feet (approx. 3 meters) to get a closer look at "Snake River", before proceeding to watch, photograph and then examine other Rocky Features located in the same area as well as in other areas nearby.
This picture (which is an Original NASA - Mars Exploration Rover - Mars Laboratory "Curiosity" b/w image-mosaic published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 16564) has been additionally processed and then colorized in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were near the NASA - Mars Exploration Rover (MER) - Mars Laboratory "Curiosity" and then looked ahead, towards the Rocky Surface Feature called "Snake River", the Rocky Paving located in front of and around the Rover, as well as the more distant Horizon of Gale Crater), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team. Different colors, as well as different shades of the same color, mean, among other things, the existence of different Elements (Minerals) present on the Surface of Gale Crater, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.MareKromium
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Craters-Unnamed_Complex_Crater-PIA00462-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgUnnamed Complex Crater (Possible Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)87 visiteThe NASA - Magellan Spacecraft imaged this multiple-Floored, highly Irregular Impact Crater at Latitude 16,4° North and Longitude 352,1° East, during its 481st and 482nd orbits around the Planet Venus (on Earth, it was September, 27, 1990). This Impact Crater, about 9,2 Km (such as approx. 5,7 miles) in maximum diameter, was formed on what appears to be a slightly fractured, radar-dark (---> smooth) Venusian Plain. The abundant, low viscosity Flows associated with this Impact Event have, however, filled local Fault-controlled Troughs (---> Graben). These shallow Grabens are well portrayed on this Magellan image but they would have been unrecognizable if they had not (coincidentally) been infillled by the radar-bright Crater Flows.
This fortuitous enhancement by the Crater Flows - of Fault Structures - that were below the resolution capacity of the Magellan Synthetic Aperture Radar provided the Magellan Science Team with valuable Geologic information. For instance, the Flow Deposits from this Impact Crater are now thought to consist - primarily - of "Shock Melted Rock" (---> such as a remarkable quantity of almost liquid rocky material that got pushed away and outwards by the powerful shock-wave/s that followed the original Impact Event/s) and Fragmented Debris resulting from the nearly simultaneous impacts of 2 (two) projectile fragments into the hot (---> approx. 426° Celsius - or about 800 degrees Farheneit) Surface Rocks of Venus. On the other hand, the presence of various Floors in this highly Irregular Impact Crater is interpreted to be the result of Crushing, Fragmentation, and eventual Aerodynamic Dispersion of a single entry projectile (---> meteor) during its passage through the dense Venusian Atmosphere.
This frame (which is an Original NASA - Magellan Spacecraft Radio-Image published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the n. PIA 00462), since it is just a Radio-Image of the Venusian Surface and NOT a real view of it, has been colorized, according to an educated guess carried out by Dr Paolo C. Fienga (LXTT-IPF), in what they could reasonably be its possible Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Magellan Spacecraft and, once the thick layer of Venusian Clouds and Fogs is completely overcome, looked down, towards the Surface of Venus itself), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team.MareKromium
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Tempe_Terra-DE-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgThe Last Days of Mars: Tempe Terra Region (Credits: Don Edwards and Paolo C. Fienga)87 visiteDear Friends of Lunar Explorer Italia and the Italian Planetary Foundation,
starting from January, 13th, 2014, we have decided to submit to your careful attention and consideration, 5 (five) "Martian Fantasies" which, in our opinion, may give you an idea about how Mars could have looked like near the end of its "Life" (as we know it, of course). We imagined the existence of some residual Wet-Lands (for instance, a few Lakes with some small River nearby), and a little Vegetation, located just in their immediate proximities.
And then ... a boundless Desert. In other words, only a few "Oasis of Life", made of residual Waters and a minimal Local Vegetation, and both completely surrounded by the yellow and orange Sands of a Desert which, in a (we believe, relatively) short amount of time, would have covered the entire Planet, and turned it into what we can see today.
This "Computer-made Reconstruction" shows you a portion of Tempe Terra, in a time that, as you can see, was VERY close to the complete desertification of the entire Region.
Note: for a better understanding of what we have been trying to show you here, please consider that in the locations where the color of the Residual Waters tends towards the green and a very light blue, it means that said Residual Waters are already very shallow; on the other hand, the darker the color of the Residual Waters gets, then the greater is their actual depth.
Please, some feedback on your side will be deeply appreciated and, therefore, do not hesitate to write to us and let us know what you think of these "Fantasies" which we have decided to entitle "The Last Days of Mars".
Thanks and enjoy!
Dr Paolo C. Fienga (PhD) - E-mail: alphacentauri@intercom.itMareKromium
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North_Polar_Regions-North_Polar_Erg-PIA17865-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgSpring over the North Polar Erg (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga - Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)87 visiteIn this VIS image, taken by the NASA - Mars Odyssey Orbiter on December, 1st, 2013, and during its 53.076th orbit around the Red Planet, we can see the Erg (---> Sea/Ocean of Dunes) that surrounds the North Polar Cap of Mars. It is Springtime, now, at the North Pole (---> in the Northern Hemisphere of Mars) and the Dunes are starting to lose their Frost cover. As the season continues towards Summer, the Dunes will appear darker and darker, as the Frost sublimates.
The bright (and round, as we have found out using other frames) spot visible on the upper side of the picture should be just a patch of Permanent Ice which is located (and therefore, somehow, protected) inside a relatively shallow Depression of the Surface - possibly (but we have no way to be sure), an almost rimless and very old Impact Crater. You can take a look, if you wish to get a few more visual information about this area, at the APOD of April, 1st, 2013.
Latitude (centered): 80,267° North
Longitude (centered): 157,439° East
Instrument: VIS
This image (which is an Original Mars Odyssey Orbiter b/w and Map-Projected frame published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 17865) has been additionally processed, magnified, contrast enhanced, Gamma corrected and then colorized in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Mars Odyssey 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.MareKromium
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ZZZ-Mercury-PIA19424.jpg87 visiteCaption NASA:"The MESSENGER Spacecraft sent this frame back to Earth after the it emerged from Superior Solar Conjunction, when the communication is largely blocked by the Sun. This is one of our last views of Mercury from MESSENGER. Featured here is the Ejecta Blanket of a (relatively) fresh Unnamed Impact Crater located just outside the scene. Ejecta scoured the Surface leaving behind beautiful patterns of Secondary Impact Craters".
Date acquired: April 16, 2015
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 71544702
Image ID: 8343072
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 55,67° North
Center Longitude: 97,37° East
Resolution: 19,9 meters/pixel
Scale: This scene is approximately 20 Km acrossMareKromium
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SOL-0003-ZRF_0003_0667217530_000FDR_N0010052AUT_04096_034085J01.pngSol 3 - Panorama87 visitenessun commentoMareKromium
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Mars_Alive.jpgWhat did we say (since a long time ago)?!?87 visiteTracce di acqua su Marte. Ce ne dà conto una nuova mappa realizzata a partire dai dati raccolti nel corso di un decennio dal Mars Express di Esa e dal Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter della Nasa. Entrambe le sonde sono in orbita intorno al pianeta rosso e grazie alle informazioni che ci hanno trasmesso negli anni – quella europea, ad esempio, è stata lanciata il 2 giugno 2003 dal Cosmodromo di Baikonur in Kazakistan – gli scienziati hanno creato la mappa più completa di cui disponiamo relativa ai giacimenti minerari marziani.
Si tratta di depositi di minerali idratati, quelli che in un passato remotissimo sono stati alterati dalla presenza dell'acqua, come le argille e i sali. Sapevamo che ce n’erano e le abbiamo anche osservate abbastanza da vicino grazie al rover Curiosity. Tuttavia, come spiega Science-alert, una mappa più ampia di dove poterle trovare ci concede “un’immagine più comprensiva della storia dell’acqua su Marte e ci aiuterà a pianificare future esplorazioni di un pianeta oggi asciutto e polveroso”. Ma che in passato era sensibilmente diverso: secondo la mappa, infatti, ovunque ci si diriga su Marte si scova qualcosa di interessante.
Il nuovo lavoro, guidato dallo scienziato planetario John Carter dell'Università di Parigi-Saclay e dell'università di Aix Marsiglia in Francia, ha identificato più depositi e aree d’interesse di minerali acquosi di quante se ne conoscessero. Se fino a dieci anni fa conoscevamo un migliaio di affioramenti, come spiega Media Inaf «la nuova mappa ha ribaltato la situazione, rivelando centinaia di migliaia di tali aree nelle parti più vecchie del pianeta». L’acqua ha insomma svolto un ruolo essenziale nel plasmare la geologia di un pianeta che oggi ci appare davvero così distante da un posto ricco d’acqua.
Ma la presenza dell’acqua fu persistente o episodica, limitata a una fase della storia del pianeta? Non lo sappiamo ancora perché il quadro risultante dalla nuova mappa è particolarmente complesso, fra sali che sembrano più antichi di alcune argille e zone argillose in cui vi è appunto una stretta mescolanza dei due minerali. Di certo la fase umida fu più lunga di quanto si immaginasse fino a pochi anni fa. “L’evoluzione da molta acqua a niente acqua non è così netta come pensavamo. L’acqua non si è fermata in una notte - spiega infatti Carter - vediamo un’enorme diversità di contesti geologici, così che nessun processo o semplice sequenza temporale può spiegare l’evoluzione della mineralogia di Marte. Questo è il primo risultato del nostro studio. Il secondo è che se si escludono i processi vitali sulla Terra, Marte mostra una diversità di mineralogia in contesti geologici proprio come succede sulla Terra”.
Un altro articolo, pubblicato come la mappa sulla rivista Icarus e con prima firmataria Lucie Riu dell’Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (Isas), Japanese Aerospace eXploration Agency (Jaxa), in Giappone, entra invece nel vivo della pianificazione delle missioni future su Marte sempre sulla base della stessa mappa. In particolare, per l’individuazione dei siti di atterraggio: i minerali acquosi contengono ancora molecole d’acqua e insieme al ghiaccio d’acqua sepolto possono costituire risorse da utilizzare in loco, magari per i futuri insediamenti umani. Intanto, prima delle prospettive fantascientifiche, si tratta di minerali molto interessanti da studiare: basti pensare al cratere di Jezero, dove lo scorso anno è atterrato il rover Perseverance, sito di Oxia Planum, dove atterrerà il rover dell’Esa Rosalind Franklin, costituito di antiche argille piene di minerali ricchi di ferro e magnesio di smectite e vermiculite.
Per anni si è pensato a Marte come a un pianeta morto, spento, semplicemente sferzato dal vento solare per miliardi di anni, fino a che non siamo arrivati ad esplorare la sue superficie e non abbiamo notato strani dettagli, sempre più evidenti, di una qualche attività.
Negli ultimi anni molte teorie affermano che il Pianeta Rosso sia ancora attivo e geologicamente vivo, scosso da terremoti e attraversato da tracce di magma "recente".
Ora una nuova ricerca dice che nell'enorme pianura chiamata Elysium Planitia un colossale pennacchio di convezione largo 4.000 chilometri nel mantello marziano potrebbe spingere il magma fuso fino alla superficie.
"I nostri risultati dimostrano che l'interno di Marte è geodinamicamente attivo oggi", scrivono i geofisici planetari Adrien Broquet e Jeffrey Andrews-Hanna dell'Università dell'Arizona.
"Sebbene Marte sia più piccolo della Terra, si prevede la formazione di teste di pennacchio altrettanto grandi data la minore gravità e la maggiore viscosità del mantello marziano", hanno spiegato.
"Il centro della testa del pennacchio più adatto, basato esclusivamente sui dati di gravità e topografia, si trova esattamente al centro del Cerberus Fossae, dove sono stati localizzati sia il recente vulcanismo che la maggior parte dei terremoti".
Questo sistema di fessure è stato osservato dai satelliti e ha rivelato prove di depositi superficiali vulcanici di 50.000 anni. Ci sono state alcune altre osservazioni strane. Il campo gravitazionale locale dell'Elysium Planitia, ad esempio, è insolitamente forte, coerente con una sorta di attività sotterranea.
Così Broquet e Andres Hanna hanno raccolto dati topografici, gravitazionali, geologici e sismici e si sono messi alla ricerca di un modello adatto.
"L'attività in corso del pennacchio dimostra che Marte non è solo sismicamente e vulcanicamente attivo oggi, ma possiede anche un interno geodinamicamente attivo", hanno scritto i due ricercatori.
"Un pennacchio sotto Elysium Planitia indica anche che i flussi vulcanici superficiali e l'attività sismica non sono eventi isolati, ma parte di un sistema regionale di lunga durata, sostenuto attivamente, con implicazioni per la longevità e il potenziale astrobiologico degli ambienti abitabili del sottosuolo".MareKromium
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SOL0678-Mars_Perseverance_RRF_0678_0727135753_317ECM_N0320896RHAZ02220_01_195J.jpgSol 678 - Approaching the Martian "Devil's Tower" 87 visiteCaption originale:"NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover acquired this image of the area in back of it using its onboard Rear Right Hazard Avoidance Camera. This image was acquired on Jan. 16, 2023 (Sol 678) at the Local Mean Solar Time of 14:10:43".MareKromium
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SOL0652-Mars_Perseverance_RRF_0652_0724829728_590ECM_N0320148RHAZ02419_01_295J.jpgSol 652 - Approaching the Martian "Devil's Tower" 0 viste87 visiteCaption originale:"NASA's Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image of the area in back of it using its onboard Rear Right Hazard Avoidance Camera. This image was acquired on Dec. 20, 2022 (Sol 652) at the Local Mean Solar Time of 14:45:00".MareKromium
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