Aproned mesas in Deuteronilus Mensae, Mars (3D)

Filed under pretty pictures, 3D, amateur image processing, Mars, Mars Express

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This is a red-blue anaglyph. Use 3D glasses (red over left eye, blue over right) to see it in 3D, or scroll down for other stereo or flicker gif versions.

In many places, Mars' northern lowlands are separated from its southern highlands by "fretted terrain," a landscape of steep cliffs and table mountains, or mesas. Here, in an area named Deuteronilus Mensae, which is considerably north of the equator, the mesas have strangely textured aprons at their feet. Many lines of evidence suggest that these aprons contain ice underneath the dust and rock visible at the surface. The image is about 200 kilometers wide.

ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum) / Emily Lakdawalla

Part of HRSC image 1483_0000. Here is the data on the HRSCview website, and also on the ASU Mars Data website. This is the same image as in ESA's Deuteronilus Mensae release, but it shows a different cropped area. It is a wider view of the region shown in this color image.

Source data was Level 3, meaning that it has all been reprojected onto a MOLA topographic map. That has the effect of removing large-scale topography (regional slopes and the larger topographic features, including the mesas) while leaving in small-scale topography (crater rims, cliff scarps, et cetera). Differences in illumination probably result from different path lengths through the atmosphere? The left-eye (red, in the anaglyph) image is stereo channel 2, the right-eye image stereo channel 1. The image has been rotated to place north at left in order to make the stereo sensible to the human eye.

Stereo versions

Stereo images are composed of one image for the left eye and one image for the right eye. Crossed-eye stereo presents the right-eye image on the left, and left-eye image on the right. Parallel-eye stereo presents the left-eye image on the left, and the right-eye image on the right. A flicker gif presents the left- and right-eye images alternately. Download the full-resolution single-eye images to use in your own stereo viewing applications:

• left-eye image
• right-eye image

Cross-eyed stereo

Parallel-eyed (also known as wall-eyed or side-by-side) stereo

Flicker gif

Copyright holder: Emily Lakdawalla