These are two separate, side-by-side animations made from the same nine
images the Surface Stereo Imager (SSI) on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander took
looking into the sky after 5:17 p.m. local time on Sol 8 (June 2, 2008),
the eighth Martian day of the mission. The SSI was pointed almost straight
up, toward the southwest. Zenith is near the top of the center frame.
In the left animation, the images were stretched to enhance contrast. The
right animation highlights variations between each image and the next. The
variations are likely dust blown by winds passing through the SSI's field
of view. The images suggest the dust is blowing from west to east.
The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf
of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin
Space Systems, Denver.
