File:Crater tree rings ESA23918977.png

From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Original file ‎(5,933 × 9,704 pixels, file size: 24.45 MB, MIME type: image/png)

Captions

Captions

Add a one-line explanation of what this file represents

Summary

[edit]
Description
English: This feature could easily be mistaken for a tree stump with characteristic concentric rings. It’s actually an impressive birds-eye view into an ice-rich impact crater on Mars. Tree rings provide snapshots of Earth’s past climate and, although formed in a very different way, the patterns inside this crater reveal details of the Red Planet’s history, too.
The image was taken by the CaSSIS camera onboard the ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) on 13 June 2021 in the vast northern plains of Acidalia Planitia, centred at 51.9°N/326.7°E.
The interior of the crater is filled with deposits that are probably water-ice rich. It is thought that these deposits were laid down during an earlier time in Mars’ history when the inclination of the planet’s spin axis allowed water-ice deposits to form at lower latitudes than it does today. Just like on Earth, Mars’ tilt gives rises to seasons, but unlike Earth its tilt has changed dramatically over long periods of time.
One of the notable features in the crater deposits is the presence of quasi-circular and polygonal patterns of fractures. These features are likely a result of seasonal changes in temperature that cause cycles of expansion and contraction of the ice-rich material, eventually leading to the development of fractures.
Understanding the history of water on Mars and if this once allowed life to flourish is at the heart of ESA’s ExoMars missions. TGO arrived at Mars in 2016 and began its full science mission in 2018. The spacecraft is not only returning spectacular images, but also providing the best ever inventory of the planet’s atmospheric gases with a particular emphasis on geologically and biologically important gases, and mapping the planet’s surface for water-rich locations. It will also provide data relay services for the second ExoMars mission comprising the Rosalind Franklin rover and Kazachok platform, when it arrives on Mars in 2023. The rover will explore a region of Mars thought once to have hosted an ancient ocean, and will search underground for signs of life.
Date 28 January 2022 (upload date)
Source Crater tree rings
Author ESA/Roscosmos/CaSSIS
Action
InfoField
Imaging
Activity
InfoField
Space Science
Keyword
InfoField
Crater Ice age Ice Climate Change Mars
Mission
InfoField
ExoMars

Licensing

[edit]
This media was created by the European Space Agency (ESA).
Where expressly so stated, images or videos are covered by the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO) licence, ESA being an Intergovernmental Organisation (IGO), as defined by the CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO licence. The user is allowed under the terms and conditions of the CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO license to Reproduce, Distribute and Publicly Perform the ESA images and videos released under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO licence and the Adaptations thereof, without further explicit permission being necessary, for as long as the user complies with the conditions and restrictions set forth in the CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO licence, these including that:
  • the source of the image or video is duly credited (Examples: "Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam – CC BY-SA IGO 3.0", "ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA IGO 3.0", "ESA/Photographer’s name, CC BY-SA IGO 3.0"), and
  • a direct link to the CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO license text is provided, and
  • if changes were made to the original image or video, there is a clear statement on the Adaptation indicating that changes were made to the original content; Adaptations must be Distributed or Publicly Performed under the Applicable License, as set forth in Article 4b of the CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO licence.
See the ESA Creative Commons copyright notice for complete information, and this article for additional details.
w:en:Creative Commons
attribution share alike
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO license.
Attribution: ESA/Roscosmos/CaSSIS, CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
You are free:
  • to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work
  • to remix – to adapt the work
Under the following conditions:
  • attribution – You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
  • share alike – If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same or compatible license as the original.

File history

Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time.

Date/TimeThumbnailDimensionsUserComment
current13:01, 28 January 2022Thumbnail for version as of 13:01, 28 January 20225,933 × 9,704 (24.45 MB)OptimusPrimeBot (talk | contribs)#Spacemedia - Upload of https://www.esa.int/var/esa/storage/images/esa_multimedia/images/2022/01/crater_tree_rings/23918967-1-eng-GB/Crater_tree_rings.png via Commons:Spacemedia

You cannot overwrite this file.

There are no pages that use this file.

Metadata

This file contains additional information such as Exif metadata which may have been added by the digital camera, scanner, or software program used to create or digitize it. If the file has been modified from its original state, some details such as the timestamp may not fully reflect those of the original file. The timestamp is only as accurate as the clock in the camera, and it may be completely wrong.

Retrieved from "https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Crater_tree_rings_ESA23918977.png&oldid=909591506"