Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

The Dotted Dunes of Mars

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for August 31, 2004 is “The Dotted Dunes of Mars,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Credit & Copyright: Malin Space Science Systems , MOC , MGS , JPL , NASA). The original explanation runs about 126 words.

The Dotted Dunes of Mars
Credit & Copyright: Malin Space Science Systems , MOC , MGS , JPL , NASA Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“What causes the black dots on dunes on Mars? As spring dawns on the Northern Hemisphere of Mars , dunes of sand near the poles begin to defrost.”

— APOD editors, August 31, 2004

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
August 31, 2004
Type
Image
Credit
Credit & Copyright: Malin Space Science Systems , MOC , MGS , JPL , NASA
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 126 words

All of August 2004 → · 2004 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Mars

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.