Russell Crater Dunes, Defrosted
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Russell Crater Dunes, Defrosted
PSP_004038_1255  Science Theme: Seasonal Processes
The Russell Crater dune field is covered seasonally by carbon dioxide frost, and this image shows the dune field after the frost has sublimated (evaporated directly from solid to gas). There are just a few patches left of the bright seasonal frost.

Numerous dark dust devil tracks can be seen meandering across the dunes. The face of the largest dune is lined with gullies. The source of the gullies is unclear but could involve erosion by the seasonal carbon dioxide ice.


Written by: Candy Hansen  (1 August 2007)
 
Acquisition date
07 June 2007

Local Mars time
15:20

Latitude (centered)
-54.269°

Longitude (East)
12.947°

Spacecraft altitude
251.8 km (156.5 miles)

Original image scale range
25.3 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~76 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
6.1°

Phase angle
53.4°

Solar incidence angle
48°, with the Sun about 42° above the horizon

Solar longitude
252.7°, Northern Autumn

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  96°
Sub-solar azimuth:  24.5°
JPEG
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Merged IRB
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Merged RGB
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JP2
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map-projected   (827MB)

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JP2 EXTRAS
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non-map           (478MB)

IRB color
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non-map           (451MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (223MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (213MB)

RGB color
non map           (448MB)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
B&W label
Color label
Merged IRB label
Merged RGB label
EDR products
HiView

NB
IRB: infrared-red-blue
RGB: red-green-blue
About color products (PDF)

Black & white is 5 km across; enhanced color about 1 km
For scale, use JPEG/JP2 black & white map-projected images

USAGE POLICY
All of the images produced by HiRISE and accessible on this site are within the public domain: there are no restrictions on their usage by anyone in the public, including news or science organizations. We do ask for a credit line where possible:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

POSTSCRIPT
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona.