Spring in Olympia Undae

Today's VIS image is located over Olympia Undae, the largest of several dune fields that surround the north polar cap. The dunes look like salt and pepper against a bright background. The spring arrival of the sun has begun the defrosting process, and most of the dunes are still covered in frost. As the season progresses the dunes will appear darker and darker as the dark sand is revealed from under the bright frost cover.

Orbit Number: 77196 Latitude: 79.7649 Longitude: 219.771 Instrument: VIS Captured: 2019-05-10 15:23

Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the 2001 Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing. The THEMIS investigation is led by Dr. Philip Christensen at Arizona State University. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the Odyssey project, and developed and built the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and from JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.