Anaglyph image of the transition from Acidalia Planitia to the Martian highlands
Anaglyph image of the transition from Acidalia Planitia to the Martian highlands
Anaglyph images can be created from the nadir channel in the HRSC camera system, which looks vertically at Mars, and one of the four stereo channels, which are directed obliquely at the surface. Using red/blue (cyan) or red/green glasses gives a three-dimensional impression of the landscape. North is to the right in the image.
The 3D effect clearly shows the marked transition from the Tempe Terra region on the upper edge of the image to the lowlands of Acidalia Planitia. Over a horizontal distance of about 70 kilometres, the terrain displays a difference in altitude of over two kilometres. Also easy to see are the valleys that were carved out by flowing rivers in the early history of Mars. Several large impact craters have been filled almost to their rims with sediments transported here by these rivers, whereas a number of smaller craters still retain their deep, bowl-shaped form and contain no sediment.
Copyright note:
As a joint undertaking by DLR, ESA and FU Berlin, the Mars Express HRSC images are published under a Creative Commons licence since December 2014: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO. This licence will also apply to all HRSC images released to date.