What's this in the Martian Sky?

That is odd...why do the viking photos look so much clearer (not color-wise, but crispness)?

I'm guessing that it was a trade-off, and that ability to send back so many images from S&O means reduced resolution, but it's still a little strange.

[Edited on 27-1-2004 by Esoterica]

You can't really tell what time of day it is by the Black and White picture - but from the looks of it, the sun could be setting and that could be a planet. Just as Venus is usually the brightest object in our sky (at dusk), what planet would be the brightest in Mar's sky? Jupiter or Earth, more likely Jupiter. Go look it up, I'm sure you'll find your answer. I think Deimos or Phobos would be a little bit bigger. There was a pathfinder image a few years ago that showed one of them - and it was a lot bigger than that dot. The Sun would also leave a nice glare in the picture - unless digitally taken out.

I do believe it is the Earth. The sun would still be shining on the Earth as it does all the time. It looks too small to be the Sun. But too big to be those small asteroids/moons hanging around mars. I think it would be the Earth. The earth appears that big in the martian sky compared to what Mars looks like in our sky because Mars is only like 1/3rd the size of Earth isn't it?

As far as green stuff in the Opportunity pictures goes, Viking 1 and 2 landed on a different part of the planet - different geology.

Originally posted by junglejake

The problem with that line of thought, about the no pollution, is this: Polution on earth is generally carbon dioxide. Mars's atmosphere is carbon dioxide. Which isn't to say I'm dismissing it from being the Earth, it's possible.

So thats why in some of the sky /land shots, the horizon is fuzzy? Or is that focus?

Mars is only about half the size of Earth, and its year lasts 23 Earth months. In other respects, though, it has several similarities with Earth: its day is only 41 minutes longer than ours; the tilt of its axis is 24 degrees (Earth's is 23.4 degrees); it experiences seasons parallel to ours.

That dot probably is the Earth. Pathfinder also had another great picture a few years ago showing the Earth - Mar's evening star. And now that I think about it, it looked quite similar - although Pathfinder's was color.

Here is a martian sunset via pathfinder.

I personally think that Jupiter's "star" in the martian sky would be much larger than the spec that is there in the picture.

A better one.

OXmanK, you are more than likely right - I was just guessing. Although Jupiter is still quite far from Mars - it would probably look twice the size. The sun looks like its half the size on Mar's or more (the picture sucks - can't really judge its size). I think that the shorter distance to the horizon on Mars (smaller planet) also affects the way that we would perceive the sun, planets, and stars.

Here's what would be a picture of the Earth on Mars if the clouds were not obstructing the view and a description below the picture.




This is the first image ever taken from the surface of Mars of an overcast sky. Featured are stratus clouds coming from the northeast at about 15 miles per hour (6.7 meters/second) at an approximate height of ten miles (16 kilometers) above the surface. The "you are here" notation marks where Earth was situated in the sky at the time the image was taken. Scientists had hoped to see Earth in this image, but the cloudy conditions prevented a clear viewing. Similar images will be taken in the future with the hope of capturing a view of Earth. From Mars, Earth would appear as a tiny blue dot as a star would appear to an earthbound observer. Pathfinder's imaging system will not be able to resolve Earth's moon. The clouds consist of water ice condensed on reddish dust particles suspended in the atmosphere. Clouds on Mars are sometimes localized and can sometimes cover entire regions, but have not yet been observed to cover the entire planet. The image was taken about an hour and forty minutes before sunrise by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder (IMP) on Sol 16 at about ten degrees up from the eastern Martian horizon.

The Earth and Moon photographed from Mars orbit. Image NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Oh well, doesn't want to show it, just copy and past the link.

a great to anaylize this pic would be to get the mars time when the pic was taken and then compare that to the orbits of the sun earth and jupiter. It does look to small to be the sun. It has to be something bigger because it has a high luminesense that means its big either giving off its own light or reflecting it from the sun. Are there anymore pics taken of that mosiac? Im going to do a search along with my rock search.

HMM its seems to be only in the left mosiac not the right I cant spot it in the right mosiac that was taken I also searched all of the raw images from the opp lander and came up empty. we need new mosaics.

I work for a Ad agency and I do alot of QTVR type stuff, Ever see the commercials where they spin around a guy on a bike in the air. The same concept (IMHO) is used for this camera, Multiple pictures taken with a panoramic camera are stitched together to form one pic. Remember the 360 degree photos from the first rover, there is not one big lense, just lots of pictures taken from overlapping spots, and since the rover is not a pro photographer, you can see differences in contrast and they don't do the best job at stitching either, (still amazing to me its from mars:up. I also notice the pixelization in the shy, I wonder if they reduce the bit on the photo to get more data (or high rez data) but when they translate the photo, closely matching colors block together rather than following a gradation , Ever try to reduce colors in a .gif file. Kinda like that.
Again IMHO.

Peace and chicken Grease

So basically, no one can give me an exact explanation as what that dot/orb is?

still searching for answers...please help.

Originally posted by junglejake
If it were the Earth, why would Mars be able to see it durring the day while we can't see Mars? And I think that if it were the Earth, NASA would be talking about how cool it is that in this panorama, the Earth was captured in the sky, too.

Mars is behind earth. During the day, Earth is facing the wrong way to be able to see Mars.

I think it's the Sun. Mars is farther away from it than Earth so, it would be smaller.

I think cause of thinner atmosfeer the reflection of sollar pannels is better vissible and its just one of the sateliets orbiting mars.