NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU
We are talking about a representation based on photographs taken between 2002 and 2004, which shows the different temperatures present on the surface of Mars. The result is fantastic "blue" sand dunes, which seem to come straight out of the ideal scenarios for a science fiction film!
The image, known as "Blue Dunes on the Red Planet", combines photographs of the planet taken by the Thermal Emission Imaging System supplied with the Mars Odyssey orbital probe and date back to the period between December 2002 and November 2004. NASA has only now released this wonderful composite image as part of the celebrations for the twentieth anniversary of the mission Odyssey. The American Space Agency commented on the astonishing photograph:
“A sea of dark dunes, sculpted by the wind in long lines, surrounds the northern polar cap of Mars, covering an area the size of Texas . In this distorted color image, the areas with colder temperatures are recorded with tints tending towards blue, while the hottest spots are represented in shades of yellow and orange. Thus, the dark, sun-warmed dunes shine with a golden color. This image depicts an area 19 miles (30 kilometers) wide. "
This photo shows us a place that is both real and imaginary. These dunes exist, but they are not actually blue in color. Mars, after all, is known as the Red Planet not surprisingly. The image is therefore halfway between fiction and scientific reality, making the continuous exploration and related discoveries that are made and will be made on the surface of Mars even more fascinating.