Ghosts of Mars - Strange Lights on the Surface

I just came across this clip from youtube (added May 30 '08). It details what appear to be several very large reflections found in a HiRISE image taken near the Pheonix landing site. (Note: these were taken from orbit, not from the lander).



From the clip description:

In image PSP_008301_2480 from HiRISE, there are many different strange objects/lights on the surface of mars near the Phoenix Lander site.

Check out the original image here:
hirise.lpl.arizona.edu...


You need to use the 'IAS Viewer' to enter in the pixel coordinates. The coordinates are for the IRB color, map projected.

GROUP #1: 30837, 13809 (pixel)
GROUp #2: 11864, 47133 (pixel)

I don't really know what these things are. Maybe ice?

Draw your own conclusions; light the lantern.

I'm curious what the image experts here at ATS might have to add to this.



[edit on 3-6-2008 by SystemiK]

I think this is a good example of how people give too much importance to colour photos, even false colour photos, over grayscale photos.

While these things really appear on the photo, the photo for the red channel is much wider (the colour sensors only occupy the central area of the camera, while the red sensors occupy all the available area) and it shows much more of those white things, that I think look like reflections.

As they were expecting that this region has ice under a thin layer of dust, I suppose that could be the ice seen through that thin layer of dust, reflecting the Sun, the direction of the reflection is consistent with the direction of the Sun light.



Most of those white things are also visible on the image he/she used in the video, I wonder why they weren't used. One of them is much bigger and so it's more visible, maybe that was the reason for not being included, it may have looked like a different thing, but I think it's the same.

ArMaP's explanation makes perfectly sense to me:
the false color in this case not just amplifies the brightness, but it has also misplaces it, creating a sort of "halo" effect. The white things are all over in the image (soon wil be availabe PSP_008591_2485 , which covers the same area and now available just partially: it will interesting to take a look at that one too )


The surface, as already pointed out, is believed to be, basically, ice covered by a thin layer of dust, and its polygons should be the result of temperature oscillations which brought the ice to crack until assuming the present appearance. I mean, what we see looks to be the result of a series of events. I think that the appearance of what we see changes drastically many times in one year.
The find is excellent, btw: thank you for sharing it

Thanks guys!

Both of you are incredible assets to the ATS community. Your contributions and analysis are always appreciated. Keep up the great work.