Comments on: Where In the Universe Challenge #31

By: Dan Tillmanns

Dan Tillmanns — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 01:27:03 +0000

Why is the color so odd?

By: Jorge

Jorge — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 00:36:38 +0000

how can this photo be viewed in 3d

Because Mars Express is equipped with a stereo camera which allows scientists to build digital elevation models of everything it photographs (much the same way we obtain 3D information from our two eyes, looking at objects from slightly different perspectives). These elevation models can then be rendered in computers as 3D images or even movies.

By: GumbyTheCat

GumbyTheCat — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 21:30:30 +0000

If you look at the bottom right corner, you'll see the so-called "Face on Mars".

By: deebee

deebee — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:45:20 +0000

how can this photo be viewed in 3d – i would love to examine it doing a 3d fly-by – richard hoglan of enterprise mission has some good 3d pics of the "face" but i would like to see some images that are real time live and not a doctored photo – happy t-giving day everyone – much blessings to oyu

By: neoguru

neoguru — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:27:26 +0000

I'll go with Mars, but would not bet the farm on it. The craters look meteoric, not volcanic but the region looks weathered. Must be Mars, huh? Donno what spacecraft.

By: Graeme

Graeme — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:37:16 +0000

Callisto

By: Milos Krmelj

Milos Krmelj — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:03:02 +0000

It is picture of Mars.Very likely region called
Cydonia, there can be also seen pyramid like structure…
And color is more likely to be from European Mars Express space probe, then NASA Mars
Global Surveyor, but I am not certain on this.This is not MRO, as it is sending much more detailed images.
Reader from small European country, Slovenia

By: Jesper

Jesper — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:34:46 +0000

*not looking at the other anwers*

I don't know, but I guess: Mars, by the Mars Reconnaisance Orbiter.

By: schmeinstein

schmeinstein — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 13:15:16 +0000

lol couldnt be anything other than Mars or Earth at that resolution, i think ferdinands hit the nail on the head….

By: Mario

Mario — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:52:37 +0000

I think this image is from Io moon, but I don't know who is the spacecraft responsible for that picture… I'll say Cassini perhaps???

By: redcloud

redcloud — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 11:25:38 +0000

Easy: Mars by Mars Express, Cydonia most likely.
Typical colors of images by the HRSC, and (though not exclusive to that area) typical morphology of "faces" and pyramids…

By: Stuart (stu)

Stuart (stu) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:42:04 +0000

Forgot to mention spacecraft. The color scheme does not look like HiRISE and I don't think CTX generally does that type of color composite, either. It looks much more like ESA's Mars Express, and Ferdinand's link pretty much cinches it.

By: Steven

Steven — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:26:26 +0000

Great Idea NickM.

By: NickM

NickM — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 08:02:43 +0000

Dont know what others think about this… Wouldnt it be better to withhold comment publishing until the next day, so everyone's guesses are blind before the answer is revealed. Makes it a bit more fun and challenging in my view.

By: JonathanR

JonathanR — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:53:12 +0000

Definitely Cydonia on Mars. Face is in the bottom right corner, but most of the picture is of the "Town Center" & other nearby pyramid-like structures.

I believe the picture was taken by the EAS Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

By: RL

RL — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:37:53 +0000

My guess is Mercury and spacecraft is Messenger.

By: Rutledge

Rutledge — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:57:12 +0000

Wait!

Classic Skull-face plus classic Mars-face plus gold — buried treasure on Mars, right? So it must be water.

By: Rutledge

Rutledge — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:50:46 +0000

It looks like a picture looking down on a cauldron of boiling (purifying) gold. But the classic Mars-face at lower right is both exact and confusing. So – is it a gift-or perhaps gilt – wrapped Mars?

By: Vanamonde

Vanamonde — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:27:08 +0000

I am probably wrong, but sure looks like a false color picture deep in the ocean somewhere on earth. Really deep.

By: Ferdinand

Ferdinand — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:06:26 +0000

It looked very Mars-Express-like to me, so I went looking and found this:
http://esamultimedia.esa.int/images/marsexpress/305-230906-3253-6-co1-Cydonia_H.jpg

So it is Cydonia by Mars Express

By: The 327th Male

The 327th Male — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:51:25 +0000

That's gotta be a hirise pic

By: ringman

ringman — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:50:40 +0000

looks like the surface of Io,…

By: mandydax

mandydax — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:38:55 +0000

I was thinking Io as well. It looks like there's a lot of sulphur that's been laid down like volcanic ash. So yeah, Io by Galileo is my guess, too.

By: Matthias

Matthias — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:35:28 +0000

Io? Spacecraft would be Galileo then.

By: liberum

liberum — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:17:37 +0000

I'm not 100% sure, but looks like Mars, with what appear to be sedimentary structures, some craters and channel-features. As for the spacecraft … perhaps Mars Global Surveyor?