Is there any reference regarding altitude or the area where it was taken? I don't know whether it's a close up terrain feature or it's way below the camera.

What in tarnations! I know the shuttle commander said there was intelligent life but...but..a herd of panda Mars bears? I'm floored.

Originally posted by zorgon

Well I would be curious to see how the usual horde of "IT'S ONLY ROCKS" crowd deals with this one

Sand dunes with ice frosting. Balls back in your court Zorgon. Show us a second photo from a different date showing that they moved. Herds move pretty much constantly. Dunes move slowly.

Star and flag for you zorgon,
very nice find.

I have no idea what they are
but they aint no rocks

Looks like igloos or something.. perhaps a native Martian habitat/community. Cool image tho.. Thanks for sharing

Originally posted by antar
Lets just send some private satellites up and have a real look see.

I'd pay a few bucks a month for the forums access if it meant in 6 years having access to private satellite photographs... Maybe SO will commit 50% of advertising profits to the mission as well...



Coven

Originally posted by seb2882
Is there any reference regarding altitude or the area where it was taken? I don't know whether it's a close up terrain feature or it's way below the camera.

Map projection is north polar stereographic
Longitude of image center: 35.10°W
Latitude of image center: 78.74°N
Scaled pixel width: 5.06 meters
Scaled image width: 3.42 km
Scaled image height: 15.89 km

Well sadly that satellite is no longer responding according to NASA... Its too bad really because you could actually put in a request for a area... figures the darn thing goes dark the minute I find out about that

I will have to see if Mars Express covered the Herd area

Dunes? Did someone say Dunes?
Hmmm I think I have some of those here somewhere...

Oh yeah here we go...

Triangular Dunes of Barsoom

What is most interesting to me is the frequency of reproduction of a feature. In the original source image, it looks like about 90% (eyeball estimate) of the objects share a similar dark triangular feature in the top left.

Here is a section of the original image I used



Here is that same image with all the objects that I believe display this similar feature marked with a red dot. (The red dot doesn't mark the feature itself, it is just identifying which objects seem to have the triangular feature in the upper left portion.)



This would seem to give credence to a wind or water erosion theory. However, the problem then is why each object also displays other markings in a seemingly random manner? Swirling might explain those random features. At the same time swirling would not support the common feature. Can anyone tie the similar and random features together with a geological process?

Originally posted by BuffaloJoe
What is most interesting to me is the frequency of reproduction of a feature. In the original source image, it looks like about 90% (eyeball estimate) of the objects share a similar dark triangular feature in the top left.

I think they are possibly shadows, which would explain why they all come from the same direction. As for the speckled black parts around the edges, I have no idea the photo is not detailed enough to give an explanation.

[edit on 29-8-2008 by Whiterabbit29]

Belly intellestink. I'll give one possible answer.

What you are looking at could be a martian golf course, possbly with the holes being connected by a system of caves. And I'm dead serious. Chew on that one for a minute.

NOTE: Image is best viewed after pink elephant blocking sunglasses have been discarded.

If you look carefully at the flecks on the "creatures" they are the same as the flecks elsewhere. This suggest that the anomolies are something swelling up from below. Still very intersting and not just rocks.

At first sight it realy looked like a herd. Still if anything natural (not living), then why this kind of grouping? If it are sand dunes, then are those black things plants?

Good find

There are no tracks, which would indicate movement, such as most "herds" tend to do. I don't believe them to be rocks, but if they are a "herd" of anything, then they are a stationary herd. Certainly wouldn't rule out something organic, though.