Public domain
Decoding a Dark Splotch
From the collection of NASA Image and Video Library. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Geologists aren't quite sure what to make of the dark splotch in the middle of this image from NASA's Mars Reconnaisance Orbiter (MRO) -- one of several similar dark splotches that extend east and west for over 100 kilometers. From measurements made in infrared, this and other dark splotches have what we call "high thermal inertia," meaning that it heats up and cools down slowly. Scientists use thermal inertia to assess how rocky, sandy, or dusty a place is.
NASA Image and Video Library’s own descriptionCredit lineDecoding a Dark Splotch. NASA/JPL, 2017-10-09. Public domain. ID: PIA22042.
