Picture of the day - June 18, 2005

The "Happy Face" Crater On Mars

Photo courtesy of NASA.   The planet Mars is one of the most intriguing bodies in our solar system for several reasons. For starters, it is one of our closest planetary neighbors - only Venus gets closer to Earth than Mars. Another thing that makes Mars so interesting is the fact that it's so much like our own planet. It has an atmosphere, water (in the form of ice) and rocky soil that looks a lot like what you would find in parts of the desert southwest region of the United States. One of the most obvious differences between Mars and Earth is the appearance of their craters. On earth, steady geological change and the presence of vegetation makes most craters difficult to discern unless you're looking down at them from a high altitude (from a spacecraft for example). But on Mars, there is no visible vegetation, and geological changes typically take place at a much slower pace. These factors make easily recognizable craters "last" a lot longer than they do on Earth. Today's picture, taken by the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, features one of Mars' most interesting craters: the "Happy Face" crater (officially known as Galle). This distinctive crater was formed when a large meteor impacted the Martian surface and debris from the impact apparently fell into place in such a way that it formed the markings of a happy face.   Picture Of The Day Homepage | Submit a photo Interesting Articles