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APOD: Dust Storm on Mars (2010 Feb 05)

Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 4:54 am
by APOD Robot
Image Dust Storm on Mars

Explanation: It's spring for the northern hemisphere of Mars and spring on Mars usually means dust storms. So the dramatic brown swath of dust (top) marking the otherwise white north polar cap in this picture of the Red Planet is not really surprising. Taking advantage of the good views of Mars currently possible near opposition and its closest approach to planet Earth in 2010, this sharp image shows the evolving dust storm extending from the large dark region known as Mare Acidalium below the polar cap. It was recorded on February 2nd with the 1 meter telescope at Pic Du Midi, a mountain top observatory in the French Pyrenees.

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Re: Dust Storm on Mars (2010 Feb 05)

Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 1:18 pm
by emc
Looks like enough dust to choke a horse!

Re: Dust Storm on Mars (2010 Feb 05)

Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 1:54 pm
by neufer
emc wrote:Looks like enough dust to choke a horse!
Are you sure that you're not The Mr. Ed?
  • -------------------------------------------------
    . Antony and Cleopatra > Act I, scene V

    CLEOPATRA: Be choked with such another emphasis!
    -------------------------------------------------
    . Timon of Athens > Act V, scene II

    Third Senator: Fearful scouring
    . Doth choke the air with dust:
    -------------------------------------------------
    . King Richard II > Act III, scene IV

    Servant: The whole land,
    . Is full of weeds, her fairest flowers choked up,
    . Her fruit-trees all upturned, her hedges ruin'd,
    . Her knots disorder'd and her wholesome herbs
    . Swarming with caterpillars?
    -------------------------------------------------
    . King Henry V > Act IV, scene III

    KING HENRY V: for there the sun shall greet them,
    . And draw their honours reeking up to heaven;
    . Leaving their earthly parts to choke your clime,
    -------------------------------------------------
    . Macbeth > Act I, scene II

    Sergeant: Doubtful it stood;
    . As two spent swimmers, that do cling together
    . And choke their Art.
    -------------------------------------------------

Re: Dust Storm on Mars (2010 Feb 05)

Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 2:09 pm
by emc
Yes. My helmet wouldn’t be as round.

My response is as a rationalist choking with despair
So far is the journey, so short is the ladder

Re: Dust Storm on Mars (2010 Feb 05)

Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 2:50 am
by neufer
APOD Robot wrote:Image Dust Storm on Mars
Image

Re: Dust Storm on Mars (2010 Feb 05)

Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 7:41 pm
by neufer
http://www.areavoices.com/astrobob/?archive=2010-02 wrote:
Image
Early spring typically brings dust storms to northern polar Mars.
The choppy dust clouds of at least three dust storms are visible
in this mosaic of images taken by the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft in 2002.
Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Image
A spectacular dust storm taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
rolls across the cracked and cratered surface of the planet (left).
At right are water ice clouds. Credit: NASA