PIA00152: North Polar Cap Margin (natural color (top) and enhanced color (bottom))

Target Name: Mars Is a satellite of: Sol (our sun) Mission: Viking Spacecraft: Viking Orbiter 2 Instrument: Visual Imaging Subsystem - Camera A Product Size: 2048 samples x 1700 lines Produced By: U.S. Geological Survey Addition Date: 1998-06-04 Primary Data Set: Viking EDRs Full-Res TIFF: PIA00152.tif (9.474 MB) Full-Res JPEG: PIA00152.jpg (467.8 kB)

Original Caption Released with Image: Water ice mixed with dust form the residual north polar ice cap (brown color). Seasonal frost of relatively pure ice (white color) partly blankets the polar deposits. A large trough, which is occupied by linear sand dunes (dark band), exposes polar layered deposits. The layered deposits hold a partial record of the history of atmospheric activity and climate of Mars. Center of picture is at latitude 82 degrees N., longitude 84 degrees W. Viking Orbiter Picture Numbers 82B11-12 (violet), 82B15-16 (green), and 82B17-18 (red) at 53 m/pixel resolution. Picture width is 106 km. North is 6 degrees counter-clockwise from top. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/USGS