Something above the horizon.

Just noticed this fly or is it a spec of dust or just an image distortion, in any case, the field is open to any suggestions.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/files/b4d1f13df40dc214.jpg[/atsimg]

Zoomed in image at site


marsrovers.nasa.gov...

marsrovers.nasa.gov...

I think it's a distortion as there's a lot of banding around it.
However that lump of coral in the foreground is really interesting and just like the one I've got on my hall console. Oh forgot...Mars.

Although i am no expert, but this paragraph has raised a flag or is it perhaps my curiosity that has been provoked.

My question is if a meteorite had hit the surface given the diameter of the object in question is that within the image would than not have left a much larger impact crater. Then again, if a larger crater was left would that be filled with the surface soil in a time frame of three weeks.

I am sure that someone could fill in the blanks here, but it simply seems odd to me that a crater was not formed and obviously the dot above the horizon.

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has found a rock that apparently is another meteorite, less than three weeks after driving away from a larger meteorite that the rover examined for six weeks.

Originally posted by tristar
Although i am no expert, but this paragraph has raised a flag or is it perhaps my curiosity that has been provoked.

My question is if a meteorite had hit the surface given the diameter of the object in question is that within the image would than not have left a much larger impact crater. Then again, if a larger crater was left would that be filled with the surface soil in a time frame of three weeks.

I am sure that someone could fill in the blanks here, but it simply seems odd to me that a crater was not formed and obviously the dot above the horizon.

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has found a rock that apparently is another meteorite, less than three weeks after driving away from a larger meteorite that the rover examined for six weeks.

Good point on the crater! I think though that it just took three weeks from the viewing of another meteorite however far away to get to this one and not it landed there three weeks prior. We have to remember that there are crazy sand storms regularly on mars and the who knows when it landed there. But still it does strike me as odd to have no sign of a crater for a decent sized rock...

It's unlikely that it was a meteor. Meteors move very fast, and would appear as streaks in photographs, not a dot. It would also likely be a light/bright looking object, since there is enough atmosphere (as far as I'm aware) to make the meteor appear to glow.

Probably just dust on/in the camera IMHO.

reply to post by C.H.U.D.


I agree, it certainly looks like some sort of smudge or particle that's been stuck onto the lense. I am not an expert on this kind of subject so I'll wait for the more talented of ATS members in this field to have a shot at it.

I found the original image on the NASA website. It is interesting that the original image has a lot more contrast and detail than the one the link points to. The "original" image they have available for us peons to see is a 223kb image. The one the link points to which is low contrast and shows exactly the same area is 271kb.

I would guess there is another master image that both were taken from. I would like to see the original high resolution image but I do not see a way to find them. It is also interesting that a previous image of almost exactly the same subject matter does not show the spot on the horizon.

Here are the two images that are not so washed out both of the same view:

Original image: (with spot)

marsrovers.nasa.gov...

Next image: (no spot)

marsrovers.nasa.gov...

Originally posted by nomadros
I think it's a distortion as there's a lot of banding around it.
However that lump of coral in the foreground is really interesting and just like the one I've got on my hall console. Oh forgot...Mars.

It's a solid black disk with a lighter "trail" above it. The "banding" which I see in the form of white globules could be explained, if the black object is a real solid object occupying space, as the black object affecting the atmosphere around the object particularly if the object was moving down since the white "globues" are mostly below it as if the object was pushing down. Just a far-out explanation and may have no source in fact.

And this is not the first or only Martian photo to show something similar.


[edit on 26-11-2009 by The Shrike]

Originally posted by expat2368
I found the original image on the NASA website. It is interesting that the original image has a lot more contrast and detail than the one the link points to. The "original" image they have available for us peons to see is a 223kb image. The one the link points to which is low contrast and shows exactly the same area is 271kb.

I would guess there is another master image that both were taken from. I would like to see the original high resolution image but I do not see a way to find them. It is also interesting that a previous image of almost exactly the same subject matter does not show the spot on the horizon.

Here are the two images that are not so washed out both of the same view:

Original image: (with spot)

marsrovers.nasa.gov...

Next image: (no spot)

marsrovers.nasa.gov...

I looked at both images switching back 'n' forth. They're 2 separate photos taken at different intervals. So, whatever the object is or was, in the OP the object is a black circle. In your photo(s) the object is elongated. In a reply the person said that there was "banding" around the object saying that it could be some photo distortion. But in the first photo here, when one blows up the photo one can see similar "banding" all over the photo.

So, possibly the black object could have been dirt or a transmission error. Then again, we really do not know and speculation is the only way to go.

The first thing to do in case of images like this one, is to check from exactly what camera (and when) it was taken: in order to rule out that it's dust close to the lens.
I'll try to make a long story short:
the file name is 1N307687655EFFA7ARP1943L0M1

hence

1 = opportunity
N = NAVCAM
307687655 = Spacecraft clock This is the number of seconds since January 1, 2000 at 11:58:55.816 UTC.
EFF = full frame EDR
A7 = Site numbe: Site location count (indicates rover's location).
AR = Drive number: Position-within-Site count (indicates rover's position within site)
P1943 = Command sequence number: it's a group of images that were all obtained within a single command sequence.
L = Camera eye (in this case, Left)
0 = Camera Filter (PANCAM only, 0 otherwise) in this case, otherwise, since it's navcam.
M = Product producer: M = MIPL (OPGS) at JPL
1 = Product version number (Version identifier)

That said, what do we have to do? We have to find a file named 1N307687655EFFA7ARP1943R0M1: basically taken exactly at the same moment, but by the other eye (right):
here you go:
marsrovers.nasa.gov...

now, a quick overlay of the two images (even at low resolution) shows that it's visible only to the left eye, which suggests that whatever it was, it was very, extremely close to the Left camera, so close that the Right camera didn't catch it


In my humble opinion, dust would be the most likely explanation



marsrovers.nasa.gov...
marsrovers.nasa.gov...

marsrovers.nasa.gov...

Thanks for sharing

Edit: lol forgot to add the animation


[edit on 27/11/2009 by internos]

I would like to point out here two distinct features which simply do not add up, unless i am interpreting things totally wrong.

This is were it becomes interesting, since most if not all agree that its perhaps a dust particle on the image lens, or an image distortion, then we most certainly agree that similar dots and depth of color throughout the image are of a similar nature. Therefore, if that is an image distortion glitch, then what ever is similar will be affected of what ever the outcome after interpretation of image analysis software. Oddly enough the only "black dot" that is affected as shown in Image A and Image B, is that of the one above the horizon. About now you also realize that a "white dot" has moved to the direction of the "Black dot". You can also see that the distance between the leading edge of the solar panel and the rock is closer, indicating that the rover is in fact traveling on a horizontal axis from West to East, also a vertical line has been added showing another relevant waypoint to allow interpretation of traveling distance and direction which that too simply does not add up. Even if we rotate the image the angle at which everything "should meet" does not seem to meet.

Conclusion:

There are far to many waypoints which do meet up but the two distinct "dots" in question located at the horizon simply do not match the waypoints located at the foreground of the image.

Image A
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/files/3c9e7183eff60e1d.jpg[/atsimg]

Image B
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/files/52fac779083bf038.jpg[/atsimg]