Korolev Crater in Infrared

After the Odyssey spacecraft had completed a full Mars year of observations of the red planet Image of the Day looked back over this first mars year. It will focus on fourthemes: 1) the poles - with the seasonal changes seen in the retreatand expansion of the caps; 2) craters - with a variety of morphologies relating to impact materials and later alteration, both infilling and exhumation; 3) channels - the clues to liquid surface flow; and 4) volcanic flow features. While some images have helped answer questions about the history of Mars, many have raised new questions that are still being investigated as Odyssey continues collectingdata as it orbits Mars.
Infrared images taken during the daytime exhibit both the morphological and thermophysical properties of the surface of Mars. Morphologic details arevisible due to the effect of sun-facing slopes receiving more energy thanantisun-facing slopes. This creates a warm (bright) slope and cool (dark) slope appearance that mimics the light and shadows of a visible wavelength image. Thermophysical properties are seen in that dust heats up more quickly thanrocks. Thus dusty areas are bright and rocky areas are dark.
This image was collected October 19, 2002 during the northern spring season. In this image Korolev Crater and its surroundings are still frost covered.