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Credit & Copyright: D. Peach,
V. Suc,
Chilescope team
Explanation:
Still bright in evening skies,
Mars was just past opposition
and closest to Earth on July 31,
a mere 57.6 million kilometers away.
Captured only a week later, this remarkable image shows the
Red Planet's disk
near its maximum size in earthbound telescopes,
but still less than 1/74th the apparent diameter of a Full Moon.
Broad regional surface shadings are starting to reappear in the
tantalizing
view as the latest planet-wide
dust
storm subsides.
With the bright south polar cap at the bottom, the Valles
Marineris extends along the center of the disk.
Just below
it lies the roughly circular Solis Lacus region
sometimes known as the
Eye of Mars.
In a line, three prominent dark spots left of center are the volcanic
Tharsis Montes.
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Mars
Publications with words: Mars
See also: