Comments on: BREAKING: Martian avalanche caught in the act!

By: GeoWonk.com » Blog Archive » Another awesome Martian avalanche

GeoWonk.com » Blog Archive » Another awesome Martian avalanche — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:00:14 +0000

[...] on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. I say another, because a few others have been seen, including this spectacular one two years ago, and lots of older ones that left their marks on the Red Planet’s [...]

By: HiRISE onboard | Webtwilight

HiRISE onboard | Webtwilight — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:01:01 +0000

[...] We’ve seen this before on Mars, but it’s still shocking and amazing. I can imagine some future settlers on the Red Planet, dealing with the lack of air, bitter cold, dust in all the machinery, radiation hazards from the Sun. And, apparently, they’ll have to dodge landslides too. It’ll be a tough life for sure… but then, I look at pictures like this and think it would be worth it, just to stand on the surface of another world and be able to simply look around. [...]

By: Initiative » Blog Archive » Photo of Mars

Initiative » Blog Archive » Photo of Mars — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:35:16 +0000

[...] seen this before on [...]

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By: Edwin Jose Palathinkal

Edwin Jose Palathinkal — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:59:24 +0000

LOL!

By: tech deck

tech deck — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:40:04 +0000

This is very cool, I wish that comet would have hit mars last month.

By: Doug

Doug — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:05:06 +0000

Hey Cusp…Good point. I can still drive my Hummer up it!!!!

Awesome PICS….

By: Timothy

Timothy — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 10:09:31 +0000

CR, yes, that’s one of the four simultaneous avalanches in that image. As far as why, the Science Team is hotly debating all aspects of the processes in this image, and HiRISE will continue to image the area as spring continues to warm the CO2 ice.

My contention that one of the earlier images may contain an avalanche as well may have been premature. Some of the Science Team postulate that updraft winds lift fine dust at the base of the scarp to form the dust clouds. More will doubtless be released as more images are gathered.

By: Martian Avalanche Caught on Camera at Orbiting Frog

Martian Avalanche Caught on Camera at Orbiting Frog — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 07:34:25 +0000

[...] read more | digg story [...]

By: CR

CR — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 06:48:33 +0000

Just re-read the last paragraph in Timothy’s post about multiple avalanches… I missed that the first time around! I presume I’m pointing out one of those four he mentioned.

So, any speculation on why multiple avalanches occurred at the same time? Quake activity? Nearby meteorite impact?

In any event, it’s very cool! Thrills me as much as the rover pics of the dust devils did a couple years back…

By: CR

CR — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 06:43:43 +0000

When following the link in the color photo BA embedded above, we see the whole scarp, with two zoom-in enlargements of the separate avalanches. But look closely at the first set of zoom-ins. In the pic of the larger but less distinct cloud (the one that’s more spread/settled out, or the topmost avalanche relative to the photo’s orientation), there appears to be a third cloud along the scarp, near the top of the zoom-in’s frame. It’s far less distinct than the others, but does appear to be a billowing cloud & its shadow. (It’s also visible in the first overall shot of the scarp, near the top of the topmost highlighted rectangle.)

I hope that all made sense…

Another avalanche? Or a trick of light & shadow along the terrain?

By: Timothy

Timothy — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 02:55:05 +0000

One of the coolest things about this is not only watching a process in action, but that the region was imaged previously as part of a study of ongoing processes in the polar region.

It may be, though, that even one of the previous images caught an avalanche in the act.

Examine the region of the biggest of the recent avalanches in image
http://hirise-pds.lpl.arizona.edu/PDS/EXTRAS/RDR/PSP/ORB_007300_007399/PSP_007338_2640/PSP_007338_2640_RED.NOMAP.browse.jpg
The region easy to spot in the larger image because of the distinctive vertical chamfer along the top edge of the ice just upslope from the avalanche.

Now compare that to the same region in
http://hirise-pds.lpl.arizona.edu/PDS/EXTRAS/RDR/PSP/ORB_007100_007199/PSP_007140_2640/PSP_007140_2640_RED.NOMAP.browse.jpg

There appears to be a large dust cloud several hundred feet away (down, in the orientation of these images) in the earlier image that’s not in the later image!

I haven’t seen any public mention of this, but it would be very fascinating to have discovered a place that’s undergoing such frequent active changes. Then again, it may not be surprising since the later image shows four distinct avalanches happening at different places along the scarp.

– Timothy
HiRISE Optical Integration Team

By: Doris B.

Doris B. — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 19:03:48 +0000

Cusp, put yourself at the top of a 60 degree incline and look over the edge and see how verticle it “seems” to you…….

By: ohiobuckeye

ohiobuckeye — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 19:03:35 +0000

Global warming strikes Mars!
It would appear that the norhtern coasts of the Earth are not the only planet suffering from climate change. Freeze/thaw cycles on Mars are most likely to blame as CO2 and H2O change their states. Could increased solar output be causing this?

By: billsmithaz

billsmithaz — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:11:33 +0000

Damn. Gotta revise the upper end of my Coolness Scale(tm) again. Every time I think I’ve got the thing calibrated correctly, something cooler comes along.

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 15:55:37 +0000

Wow. That is frack’n darn cool!!
I saw that photo yesterday and got stuck on it for about 1/2 hour just staring at it. woooo!

By: BovineSupreme

BovineSupreme — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:45:27 +0000

That’s way cool.

I am concerned about Martain Bigfoot, he is ok right? Hopefully he was at work when this happened.

By: Barton Paul Levenson

Barton Paul Levenson — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:26:24 +0000

Get it right, people!

It’s “Illudium Q-38 Explosive Space Modulator.” Accent on the last syllable.

By: Candace

Candace — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 10:27:36 +0000

That is AMAZING!

By: Dennis

Dennis — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:44:42 +0000

Verry Verry Cool!!
Dennis

By: » Look out below! Astronomy & Education

» Look out below! Astronomy & Education — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 05:20:02 +0000

[...] running hot at the Canberra Deep Space Communication Centre at Tidbinbilla and similar sites. Bad Astronomy and CosmicVariance both have it on their blogs too. Grab a free edublog to your get your own [...]

By: Dave Hall

Dave Hall — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 05:15:18 +0000

Do I see a couple of footprints on the left at the top of the escarpment? Is there a Martian coyote at the bottom in the dust?

I cannot look at the image without Warner Brothers cartoon music running through my head!

By: No Martians Were Hurt In The Making Of This Picture « In Other Words

No Martians Were Hurt In The Making Of This Picture « In Other Words — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 04:21:36 +0000

[...] Big Hat Tip to Phil Plait at Bad Astonomy. [...]

By: help! martian avalanche! and other links « Dangblog

help! martian avalanche! and other links « Dangblog — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 03:26:07 +0000

[...] martian avalanche! and other links The Bad Astronomy site has a great photo of an avalanche on Mars, as captured by an orbiting [...]

By: Barbara

Barbara — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 03:18:58 +0000

shane and JonH: Ha ha, very funny.

wright: I loved what you wrote. It reminded me of Pres. Bartlet’s final speech in the episode “Galileo” from The West Wing (Season 2, episode 9). Thanks.

Mars: Thanks for showing us your stuff.