What they see on Mars: mysterious images from the Red Planet. Surface of the Red Planet Prohibited photographs of Mars

On August 7, 2012, Curiosity, a complex 900-kilogram rover equipped with the latest technology, began operating on the surface of Mars. In the future, Curiosity may become one of the most successful space missions: the scientific equipment on board is designed to study in detail the geological history of Mars and shed light on the question of life on this still mysterious planet. Despite the fact that the main work of the device will end after 668 Martian days, in total Curiosity is capable of operating for at least 14 years

Typical Martian landscape during the day

Part of the Gale Crater mosaic

Curiosity wheel track on the sand of Mars

Sand, dust and stone called Burwash. The picture was taken from a distance of 11.5 cm from the stone, the dimensions of the picture are 7.6 by 5.7 cm

Sand drift, from the slope of which Curiosity took soil samples. On the left we see a raw image of the dune, showing what it looks like on Mars, where the sky often has a reddish tint due to the large amount of dust. On the right, the image has been processed to show what the same area would look like on Earth. The size of the round stone above the center of the image is about 20 cm

“Blueberries” are small spherical inclusions in the Martian soil. The balls are about 3 mm in size, they contain a large amount of red iron ore, which is formed in the presence of water

The photo shows the bottom of the vehicle, all six wheels and the marks left by them. In the foreground are two pairs of black and white HAZCAM navigation cameras

Curiosity has just climbed the Rocknest dune to take the first soil samples of the Red Planet. The image was taken on October 3, 2012, on the 57th day of operation of the device

The MAHLI camera looks at Curiosity's wheel.

Morning on Mars

Dark gray Martian rock. The image was taken with a MAHLI camera from a distance of 27 cm. The area of ​​the image is 16 by 12 cm, and the resolution is 105 microns per pixel. Despite its impressive clarity, scientists have been unable to resolve the granules or crystals that make up the stone.

The “Pyramid” on Mars is a rock called Jake Matijevic. The image was received on September 21, 2012.

Studying the "Pyramid" at close range. Chemical analysis of the stone showed that it is rich in alkali metals, as well as halogens - chlorine and bromine. Judging by the spectrum, this stone is a mosaic of individual grains of minerals, including pyroxene, feldspar and olivine. In general, the composition of the stone is very atypical for Martian rocks

Color image of a "pyramid" on Mars. The image has been white-balanced to reveal differences in the inclusions on the stone.

On the 55th day of stay on Mars. Curiosity's focus is on a sandy deposit called Rocknest, from the slope of which the rover took its first soil samples.

Remains of an ancient stream bed on Mars. The fact that water once flowed in this place is evidenced by many pieces of gravel and rocks that have a smooth round shape. In addition, the size of some of these pebbles suggests that they could only have been transported by a stream of water. The rock, chipped like a broken sidewalk, is of sedimentary origin

Looking back on the journey

Evening on Mars. The image was taken on day 49 of Curiosity's operation.

The Martian stone, which received the name Et-Then from scientists. The image was taken by the MAHLI camera (Mars Hand Lens Imager) on October 29, 2012, on the 82nd day of Curiosity’s stay on the Red Planet. The rock was photographed from a distance of 40 cm, the width of the image is only 25 cm. Et-Zen was discovered near the left front wheel of the device when Curiosity was preparing to take soil samples in the town of Rocknest

Rocks on Mars. Mosaic obtained by the MAHLI camera on the 76th day of Curiosity's stay on the Mysterious Planet

August 6, 2012 back from the Curiosity rover after an eight-month journey. The device covered 567 million kilometers on its way to the Red Planet.

During this time, the Curiosity rover made discoveries that indicate the existence of favorable conditions for the life of microbes billions of years ago, did countless jobs with different instruments, drilled, fired lasers, took photographs, and sent 468,926 images to Earth.

Images from the Curiosity rover and news from the Red Planet over the past few years.

2. From a distance, the surface of Mars appears reddish-red due to the red dust contained in the atmosphere. Up close, the color is yellowish-brown with an admixture of gold, brown, reddish-brown and even green, depending on the color of the planet’s minerals. In ancient times, people easily distinguished Mars from other planets, and also associated it with war and created all sorts of legends. The Egyptians called Mars "Har Decher", which meant "red". (Photo by JPL-Caltech | MSSS | NASA):

3. The Curiosity rover loves to take selfies. How does he do this, since there is no one to remove him from the side?

The rover has four color cameras, all of them with a different set of optics, but only one of them is suitable for . The automatic arm, called MAHLI, has 5 degrees of freedom, which gives the camera significant flexibility and allows it to “fly” the Mars rover from all sides. The movement of this camera arm is controlled by a specialist on Earth. The main task is to follow a certain sequence of movements of the automatic arm so that the camera can take a sufficient number of pictures for subsequent stitching of the panorama. The scenario for preparing each such selfie is first tested on Earth on a special test module called Maggie. (NASA Photo):

4. Martian sunset, April 15, 2015. At noon, the sky of Mars is yellow-orange. The reason for such differences from the colors of the earth's sky is the properties of the thin, rarefied atmosphere of Mars containing suspended dust. On Mars, Rayleigh scattering of rays (which on Earth is the cause of the blue color of the sky) plays a minor role, its effect is weak, but appears in the form of a blue glow at sunrise and sunset, when the light passes through a thicker layer of air. (Photo by JPL-Caltech | MSSS | Texas A&M Univ via Getty | NASA):

5. Wheels of the Mars rover September 9, 2012. (Photo by JPL-Caltech | Malin Space Science Systems | NASA):

6. And this is a photo taken on April 18, 2016. You can see how worn out the hard worker’s “shoes” are. From August 2012 to January last year, the Curiosity rover traveled 15.26 km. (Photo by JPL-Caltech MSSS | NASA):

7. We continue to look at pictures of the Curiosity rover. The Namib Dune is an area of ​​dark sand consisting of dunes northwest of Mount Sharp. (Photo by JPL-Caltech | NASA):

8. Two thirds of the surface of Mars are occupied by light areas called continents, about a third are dark areas called seas. And this is the base of Mount Sharp.

Sharp is a Martian mountain located in Gale Crater. The height of the mountain is about 5 kilometers. On Mars there is also the highest mountain in the solar system - the extinct Olympus volcano with a height of 26 km. The diameter of Olympus is about 540 km. (Photo by JPL-Caltech | MSSS | NASA):

9. Photo from the orbiter, the rover is visible here. (Photo by JPL-Caltech | Univ. of Arizona | NASA):

10. How was this unusual Ireson hill formed on Mars? His history has become the subject of research. Its shape and two-color structure make it one of the most unusual hills that the robotic rover has passed by. It reaches a height of about 5 meters, and the size of its base is about 15 meters. (Photo by JPL-Caltech | MSSS | NASA0:

11. This is what the “traces” of the rover on Mars look like. (Photo by JPL-Caltech | NASA):

12. The hemispheres of Mars differ quite greatly in the nature of their surface. In the southern hemisphere, the surface is 1-2 km above average and is densely dotted with craters. This part of Mars resembles the lunar continents. In the north, most of the surface is below average, there are few craters and the bulk is relatively smooth plains, probably formed as a result of lava flooding and erosion. (Photo by JPL-Caltech | MSSS | NASA):

13. Another masterful selfie. (Photo: JPL-Caltech | MSSS | NASA):

14. In the foreground, about three kilometers from the rover, is a long ridge replete with iron oxide. (Photo by JPL-Caltech | MSSS | NASA):

15. A look at the path taken by the rover, February 9, 2014. (Photo by JPL-Caltech | MSSS | NASA):

16. The hole drilled by the Curiosity rover. This color of the rock beneath the red surface is not immediately obvious. The rover's drill is capable of making holes with a diameter of 1.6 cm and a depth of 5 cm in stone. Samples extracted by the manipulator can also be examined by the SAM and CheMin instruments located in the front part of the rover body. (Photo by JPL-Caltech | MSSS | NASA):

17. Another selfie, the most recent, taken on January 23, 2018. (Photo by NASA | JPL-Caltech | MSSS):

© © NASA Photo

People love mysterious space stories. And mysterious objects on Mars are traditionally at the top of cosmic curiosity. There, rock formations become faces, shadows become UFO landing sites, and pieces from a Mars rover become Donald Trump's head.

6. “The fish of my dreams.”

There is a fish rock on Mars, but there are no fish there. Curiosity caught this “catch” on its camera lens, and ufologists and proponents of the theory of the existence of Martians were delighted. But this is just a game of stone shapes and lighting. NASA says this about possible fossilized bones and animals on Mars: “Mars probably never had enough oxygen in the atmosphere to support complex organisms.”

7. Vortex.

A strange vortex appears in this Martian landscape captured by another NASA rover, Opportunity, in 2016. This is actually a real dust devil, just like on Earth. Martian dust devils alone can be up to 50 times wider and up to 10 times higher than those on Earth.

8. Donut.

It didn't exist, and then it appeared. A donut-shaped object appeared rather unexpectedly in a series of before-and-after images in Opportunity images. Some people thought it was an alien formation, but NASA announced that the sudden appearance of the donut was due to Opportunity dislodging a rock by driving over it. In general, there is no fast food on Mars.

9. Waffle.

The donut is not the only “food” formation on the red planet. An image from Mars orbit in late 2014 showed a strange, wafer-shaped island. The 1.2-mile "waffle" is located in an area of ​​lava flows. This is not evidence of giant wafers on Mars, but it does look a lot like a lava formation.

10. Bling.

If something shines somewhere, it already attracts attention. If something sparkles on Mars, these are mysterious signals. In 2012, Curiosity spotted a bright, shiny object in the faded Martian soil. To understand the scale: the entire image covers an area of ​​only 4 centimeters across. NASA scientists have confirmed that this shine is just some kind of quartz or something like that.

11. Spoon.

See the spoon in the center of the image? A long arm stretched out over the landscape, casting a shadow below? Is this proof that some giant chef is using this tool to make the donuts and waffles mentioned above? Unfortunately no. Mars does not have the same strong gravity as Earth, so such fragile rock formations can exist for a long time without collapsing under their own weight.

12. Metal structure.

Mars searchers have edited an image taken by Curiosity in early 2013 to highlight what appears to be a piece of metal. The likely explanation is much less impressive than a metal racer or an iron monster. The object is likely part of a meteorite or the result of a trick of light.

13. Bright light on the horizon of Mars.

The same Curiosity sent this curious photo in 2014, showing light on the horizon of Mars. The image excited UFO fans, who speculated that it could be evidence of alien activity.

NASA, as is usual with scientists, disappointed them by explaining that all the pictures with the mysterious “lighthouse” were taken with one camera. Other lenses did not reflect this point. Perhaps a cosmic particle hit the camera matrix, causing part of the sensor to “blind” and a white spot to appear on the pictures.

14. Mini meteorite.

In October 2016, Curiosity discovered a small iron meteorite that was initially thought to be a strange rock. The stone looks small, about the size of a palm, but a close-up showed its intricate surface. The researchers called it a “stone egg” and were wrong.

A camera for micro-imaging (ChemCam: Remote Micro-Imager), which is equipped with the rover, was pointed at the egg. And they determined the approximate composition. According to scientists from the University of Arizona (Arizona State University), the egg consists of an alloy of nickel and iron.

15. Strange deep hole.

NASA has not given a definitive answer about this strange circular pit captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2017. But, most likely, this is a crater formed due to a meteorite impact. The hole is located near the planet's south pole. At the end of summer, due to the short daylight hours, the pit stands out sharply from the surrounding landscape due to the play of light and shadow.

16. Female statue?

The Spirit rover took this image in 2007, showing a view of rock formations on the surface of Mars. One of them stood out. It looked like Bigfoot. And female.

17. Another woman on Mars.

As you already understand, there is no shortage of women on Mars. That is, there are two of them, at least. This image from Curiosity excited alien theorists in early 2015. The small object inside the red circle looks like a figurine of a lady in a dress. All you need to see it is a developed imagination.

18. A monster crab crawls on Mars.

Again the Curiosity image from July 2015. It was not noticed for a long time until a tiny fragment of the image was enlarged in one group on Facebook. And what looked like a strange crab-like monster appeared, lurking in the shadows. He is also very similar to Cthulhu. In any case, this is what those who saw Cthulhu say. And these guys won’t lie again.

Of course, the crab on Mars is just a play of light and shadow on the rock. But it's so boring...

19. The face of an ancient god.

On the left is a cropped view of an image from the Opportunity rover. On the right is a Neo-Assyrian goddess statue from the British Museum. Notice the similarities? And some UFO fans too. As with all the mysteries of Mars that look like objects from Earth, it is a combination of human imagination and the play of light, and not a greeting from an extraterrestrial civilization with a penchant for stone carving.

20. Kissing face.

As we already know, there are many women on Mars. Therefore, it is no coincidence that this man seems to stretch out his lips in a kind of kiss. This stone was found in a photo from Curiosity by fans of the habitable Mars theory at the end of 2016.

21. How to find a “face” on Mars.

In a short time and a minimum of effort, anyone can find rock formations that look like human or alien faces on Mars. Here are two "faces" with their features indicated. This image is from Curiosity, which captured this landscape in late 2016.

All it takes is imagination to harness the power of pareidolia, a phenomenon that causes people to see faces and shapes in inanimate objects.

The Curiosity rover has been on Mars for over a week now, and during that time its cameras have captured hundreds of stunning landscape photos. We bring to your attention a selection of the most interesting photographs.

Part of a panorama of Mars obtained by Curiosity's navigation cameras. The image clearly shows the rocky floor of Gale Crater; the mountains in the distance are the edge of the crater.

The first flying saucer photographed on Mars turned out to be made on Earth. In the photo we see a 4.5-meter heat shield that protected the device during its descent into the Martian atmosphere. The image was taken by the MARDI camera at the time of descent. The distance between Curiosity and the shield was 16 meters.

Curiosity's landing on Mars was monitored by the MRO (Mars Reconaissance Orbiter) probe, equipped with the HiRISE high-resolution camera. This image, taken from a distance of several hundred kilometers, shows a parachute and a lander with a rover. The enlarged and specially processed image on the right shows much more detail.

The image resolution is 33.6 cm per pixel

One of the first images of the Martian surface taken by the Curiosity rover. The camera looks towards Mount Sharp.

Curiosity from Mars orbit. The image resolution is 39 cm per pixel.

Looking in the opposite direction from the Sun. This is the first photo taken by Curiosity's navigation cameras. In addition to the viewing function, navigation cameras help to find the Sun (by shadows); this is necessary for communication with the Earth

Rough and rocky surface of Mars. This color photo, taken by the Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) camera a few minutes after Curiosity landed, shows the rough structure of the Martian surface. The ground was photographed from a height of only about 70 cm, the image scale is 0.5 mm per pixel. However, from such a short distance the camera could not get clear enough images, so the actual resolution is about 1.5 mm per pixel. The largest stone is 5 cm in diameter.

On the left, the rover's wheel is included in the frame; in the center of the image, the surface of Mars is illuminated by a ray of sunlight filtering through Curiosity

Looking towards Mount Sharp, Curiosity's main target. Both images were taken using the HazCam camera before and after removing the transparent cover that protected the camera from dust and sand during the rover's descent.

The first color photo of the surface of Mars taken by Curiosity. The protective cover has not yet been removed from the camera, so the image is not very clear

The hilly rim of Gale Crater, photographed by one of Mastcam's cameras

Mount Sharp, the central ridge of Gale Crater, is the main target of the Curiosity rover. The ground along the rover's path is strewn with stones and bluish-gray pieces of basalt. This picture is typical for Mars.

On the third day. The rover's Mastcam cameras look straight ahead. The rocks and soil are covered with a thin layer of reddish dust, ready to be thrown into the air by the wind. The climate on Mars is very dry, so despite the severe frosts, permafrost is almost never found on the Mysterious Planet.

Neighborhood Curiosity. The colors in the photo are artificially enhanced to bring out surface detail; blue dunes are actually bluish-gray in color. The dune fields lie between Curiosity's landing site and Mount Sharp, which is where the rover will explore. The mountain itself was not included in the photo (it is located below). The rover is approximately 300 m from the bottom of the image. Image resolution: 62 cm per pixel

On the Mars As Art website, NASA space agency employees post beautiful photographs of Mars that are so amazing that they look more like paintings. This post will allow you to take a look at these photos.

In the photo: you see a deposit of hematite - iron ore - in the Meridian Plateau area.

Chaos Aram is the remains of an eroded impact crater located almost at the very equator of Mars and covered with a huge amount of iron oxide or ordinary rust.

Olympus Mons is a huge volcanic crater - its height exceeds 30 kilometers. This is the highest point in the solar system.

A crater in the Great Northern Plain region, on which a blanket of ice can be seen. During the Martian winter, the ice is also covered with a layer of dry ice - carbon dioxide in solid form, which sublimates (turns into a gas) in the summer.

This photo appears to show an original tattoo, but in reality it is an intricate and winding design created by... dust. On Mars, as on Earth, wind often blows away the top layers of soil, exposing deeper ones.

Panoramic photograph of the eastern rim of Endeavor Crater, taken from a distance of about 30 kilometers.

Hellas Plain (also known as the Hellas Impact Basin). The cracks visible in the photograph range from 1 to 10 meters in width.

A dust swirl on Mars, photographed by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. A similar phenomenon exists on Earth.

The southeastern slopes of the volcanic crater Olympus - the highest point in the solar system.