A new high-resolution map shows Mars in incredible detail. It was produced by scientists from New York University Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, who worked with data obtained from the Hope orbital probe.
The map was produced with more than 3,000 observations captured by the Emirates Exploration Imager (EXI) instrument, a state-of-the-art imaging system that is part of the spacecraft. The thousands of photos represent a year of observations on Mars (something close to two years on Earth) and were joined together on the map by scientist Dimitra Atri.
The result is a large map that shows regions and features on Mars in high resolution. In it, it is possible to observe polar caps, mountains, inactive volcanoes, traces of ancient rivers, lakes, valleys and impact craters. As well as being fascinating, these details could help scientists unlock the mystery behind the processes that turned Mars into the cold, arid world we see today.
In a statement, Atri pointed out that the map took the Emirates and the Arab world one step closer to achieving the country’s global mission of offering a complete picture of the Martian climate. “More than 30 other spacecraft have taken just one image of the climate of Mars, while Hope will track seasonal changes over the course of a year,” he revealed.
Hope is the UAE’s first interplanetary mission. It launched in July 2020 and entered Mars orbit in February 2021, moving in an elliptical path around Mars that takes it farther than any other spacecraft. “This strategic position is helping researchers to create a global image of the planet”, he highlighted.
Source: NEW
