What is this? Mars Lander Photo

I was looking over this picture with windows picture and fax viewer, and when I zoomed in I saw some things that just look odd to me, please have a look and tell me if they look strange to any of you, I have circled the areas I am looking in. If this doesn't work ( still allow you to zoom) would somebody please try to zoom in on the areas I have circled please.

i268.photobucket.com...

I personally see nothing inconsistant with a low sun shining on certain rocks. These appear to reach a tad higher than the surrounding formations, but aside from that,they seem no different.

Still. I'll wait for the close ups, and analysis from others. (It's just my way to never make a rush to judgment.)

Still. an interesting find, anomoly or not.

[Edit because I just cannot spell today.]

[edit on 8-6-2008 by NGC2736]

Thanks for commenting, what I am seeing is the in the circle to the left, a round white ball looking thing that seems suspended in the air, just above the ground. To the right, bottom circle, looks like the end of a tube, and the circle behind it looks like a stack/row of the same tubes. Maybe I am looking too hard, and seeing something just because I want to (LOL) but the oddest is that little white ball.

sorry i also cant see anything interesting

maybe i need glasses (seriously)

Here is a more zoomed in shot of the circle on the left.

i268.photobucket.com...

Does look like something round. However, to me it looks like the top half of it and the bottom is behind the top of that dune/hill.

And the ones on the right:

i268.photobucket.com...

I need Internos! He is the best at blowing these pictures up, I am not savy enough to do this!

reply to post by space cadet


The closer one seems to me round ended.
The one in the back seems to me just variations in the shades of soil.
I'm not trying to say "nOOOooo" just letting you know what I see and think. It's kind of fuzzy so it could very well be what you're seeing

I'll go with the chicken! I had notice the tube like structure you show when I first saw the pics when they came out, also.

I look for skulls mostly, but did notice that.

I still would like some better hires pics from the folks at NASA/JPL and more info on the weird white monilith anomalie. Too bad it ain't a rover.

Keep looking!

[edit on 9-6-2008 by RUFFREADY]

reply to post by mysterychicken


Like I mentioned above, I need Internos to look at these, when I look at it with the fax veiwer they look pretty clear, but when I try to printscreen the larger version they pixelate. grrrr.

reply to post by space cadet


i198.photobucket.com...

This is one of the first images taken by Phoenix, on Sol 0 (day 1): it's the one showing an anomalous object in the background, at approx. 358 degrees azimuth (see arrow).

www.nasa.gov...

Better res available:
www.nasa.gov...


These are resamples made with bicubic interpolation, they are basically computer generated images,
so their reliability is very limited.

This is an enlargement of the biggest formation made with pixel resize.

The problem with this image is its low quality, it's very hard to tell apart what's an actual object shape from image artifacting. But i have to say that all the three formations look interesting to me:
the one to the left looks like a spherical object, the one at the top looks like an unique holed formation and the one to the right looks like the terminal part of some kind of tube: but in this third case, what looks to be hollow (dark area) may just be the result of the orientation of the sunlight: i mean, we don't know if it's an actual hole or simply a shadow.
But there's nothing to do with a single image, and besides of such a quality: phonix is keeping on taking images,
so i guess it's a matter of time to have the chance to see a narrowed better quality shot of the area.
Once an image showing the same area will be published, i will share it here.
space cadet, in my opinion you should stay on this stuff: these formation are, for different reasons, interesting (no matter if they turn out to be rocks): i look forward to see more threads from you

reply to post by internos


Thank you Internos! My head is swelling! I kept looking at this picture at the object now named the heat sheild, and happened to see the ball first, to me it looked like it has a see thru tube under it, or glass like tube, more than it looks suspended. I can't wait to see the more refined images when they come down, to me this is a most exciting pastime, trying to locate even the smallest item! Glad you caught up with this thread!

reply to post by space cadet


Well, regarding the object in sol 0, i higly doubt it is the heatshield:
the parachute is roughly located between 155 and 160 ° relatively to the lander (white line), while the Heat Shield is located approx at 117/118 ° (red arrow).

Now, the object of sol 0 (allegedly the Heat Shield) is located between 358 and 359 ° (green arrow), almost in the opposite direction.
So, it shouldn't be neither the Heat Shield nor the Backshield with parachute

[edit on 9/6/2008 by internos]

reply to post by internos


Wow. I had not seen that before. Do you suppose they aready have better quality images of this area that they have not released yet? I mean, I remember that even NASA was questioning what we were seeing there! Do you know if there is a particular time frame for them releasing any high quality photos?

edit = more info: My hubby and I were discussing that there has to be more to the sudden interest in Mars by Nasa and the Russians, most speculate that we are hunting a new planet to inhabit, my theory is that we are looking into whether or not earth is about to become like Mars, and that there may be clues that could save earth, or at least know what is to come.

[edit on 9-6-2008 by space cadet]

reply to post by space cadet


Honestly, i have no idea: imageering is very low in their priorities list on this mission: there are already some nice shots, but they are mostly shots related to the close surroundings of the lander: they completed a full 360 degrees panorama, but Phoenix is taking shots every day.

The RAC is a box-shaped imager with a double Gauss lens system, commonly found in many 35 mm cameras, and a charged-coupled device similar to those found on many consumer digital cameras. Two lighting assemblies provide illumination of the target area. The upper assembly contains 36 blue, 18 green, and 18 red lamps and the lower assembly contains 16 blue, 8 green, and 8 red lamps. The RAC has two motors: one sets the lens focus from 11 mm to infinity and the other opens and closes a transparent dust cover. The instrument's magnification is 1:1 at closest focus, providing image resolutions of 23 microns per pixel.

www.nasa.gov...

The resolution of Phoenix Robotic Arm Camera is greater that the ones of Mars Rovers, so is perfectly legitimate to wait for some great shots

reply to post by space cadet


Hi, Space Cadet. I see the "tubular" thing on the right and the "floating" ball on the left easily, and agree this is very interesting. The depressed circle on the top with the oddly placed rocks doesn't seem quite as abnormal to me, possibly just coincidental.

Do you find anything unusual about the blurry area between the two red circles on the right? Does this area look retouched? Probably not, I guess, otherwise it seems they would have also blurred the tubular object. Hm. What is your opinion?

Edit for stupidity :-)
And yet again. :-(

[edit on 9-6-2008 by Annoyed]

[edit on 9-6-2008 by Annoyed]