Amazonis Planitia
Viking Orbiter colour image of Amazonis Planitia.
This scene covers the boundary scarp between the ancient cratered highlands and the northern plains of Mars. The sedimentary deposits north of the highlands may consist of pyroclastic rocks or paleo-polar deposits. Ancient river channels cut the cratered highlands.
The region is a potential landing site for a future Mars mission.
North is 107 Deg clockwise. Image resolution is about 835 m/pixel.
Colour composite of the Viking 1 Orbiter images f690a02 (violet), f690a06 (green) and f690a08 (red), taken on May 8, 1978. The composite was processed further to show the approximate natural colour appearance of Mars.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Arizona State University/Image processing by astroarts.org
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Clouds Around Olympus Mons
Clouds around the summit of Olympus Mons.
This mosaic of the six Viking 1 Orbiter images f041a60, f041a62 to 65, and f041a67, taken on July 31, 1976, from a distance of 8,000 km, shows the flanks and complex caldera of the Olympus Mons volcano protruding above thin clouds of water ice. The top of the cloud blanket is about 19 km above the mean ground level and 8 km below the summit. Parts of the cloud cover have a cellular appearance, indicating convection within the clouds.
A well-developed wave cloud several hundred kilometers long is visible towards the limb.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Arizona State University/Mosaic by astroarts.org
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