Strange Spots on Mars

August 2, 2003

 

There is no place like Mars for fueling speculation about geologic features that must have been created by intelligent beings. Now scientists bring us the Fortune Cookie photo.

It's doubtful this new image, released July 25, will rise to the level of controversy that surrounds infamous Martian features like The Face or Inca City. But scientists have suggested an earthly analogue for these red planet spots.

"Some of them are shaped like fortune cookies," said scientists at Malin Space Science Systems, which operates the Mars Orbiter Camera aboard NASA's orbiting Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft.

There's a message in the shapes, the scientists say, though presumably it was not extracted after a meal. Wind blows through this north polar region of Mars from the lower right toward the upper left, crafting dusty dunes with steep slopes that point in the direction the wind blows.

The dunes are illuminated by sunlight from the upper right. The image covers and area about 1.9 miles (3 kilometers) wide.

http://www.space.com/imageoftheday/image_of_day_030731.html