PIA05690: Winter Clouds Over Mie

Target Name: Mars Is a satellite of: Sol (our sun) Mission: Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Spacecraft: Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter Instrument: Mars Orbiter Camera Product Size: 374 samples x 561 lines Produced By: Malin Space Science Systems Producer ID: MOC2-663 Full-Res TIFF: PIA05690.tif (191 kB) Full-Res JPEG: PIA05690.jpg (21.74 kB)

Original Caption Released with Image: 12 March 2004 This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) red wide angle image shows late winter clouds over the 104 km (~65 mi) diameter crater, Mie. Cellular clouds occur in the lower martian atmosphere, surrounding Mie Crater. Their cloudtops are at an altitude that is below the crater rim. Higher than the crater rim occurs a series of lee wave clouds, indicating air circulation moving from west/northwest (left) toward the east/southeast (right). Mie Crater is located in Utopia Planitia, not too far from the Viking 2 landing site, near 48.5°N, 220.4°W. Sunlight illuminates this January 2004 scene from the lower left. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems