NASA has released an interactive map of Mars, created from over 100,000 images taken by the agency's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)

Key Highlights :

1. NASA released an interactive map of Mars made from over 100,000 images taken by the agency’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

2. The map is the creation of scientists at the Murray Laboratory for Planetary Visualisation at the California Institute of Technology.

3. Comprising 5.7 trillion pixels, it offers a sweeping, black-and-white look at Mars.

4. It is a tremendous amount of data, so you might find your computer (like mine) does some huffing and puffing to load it up.

5. The tool, hosted online by Caltech, offers shortcuts to some of the most popular sites on the Red Planet, including its largest mountain, Olympus Mons, and Jezero Crater, the dried-up lakebed where the Perseverance rover mission is underway.

6. Visitors can also bookmark locations, measure distances, and toggle layers like rover paths, a topographical heat map, and impact craters.

7. “For 17 years, MRO has been revealing Mars to us as no one had seen it before,” said Rich Zurek, the mission’s project scientist, in a JPL release.

This visual masterpiece is a must-see for space enthusiasts and anyone who has ever been curious about the red planet. The MRO has been circling Mars since 2006, capturing stunning images of the planet's surface. The map is based on images taken between 2009 and 2015, and it covers an area of about 1,500 square miles, showcasing a wealth of details about Mars' landscape.

The interactive map allows users to zoom in on different areas and explore the planet's surface in incredible detail. Users can click on different areas to learn about the different types of rocks and soil present on the Martian surface. This interactive feature makes it an excellent educational tool for students, researchers, and space enthusiasts alike.

In addition to the surface, the MRO also captured images of Mars' atmosphere, which is included in the map's data. The map offers detailed information about the thickness, temperature, and composition of the atmosphere, which is vital to our understanding of the planet.

The MRO has been a critical tool for researchers, enabling them to explore Mars and gather invaluable information about the planet. The images captured by the MRO have helped researchers gain a better understanding of Mars' geology, mineralogy, and atmospheric conditions.

Overall, the interactive map of Mars created by NASA is a fascinating and educational tool that offers a unique opportunity to explore the planet's surface and atmosphere in incredible detail. It's a testament to the incredible capabilities of the MRO and a reminder of the significant strides we've made in space exploration.

Continue Reading at Source : gizmodo