Planetary Picture of the Day
Week of November 29, 2021
And so it’s December on Mars, Pluto and Earth.
Monday, November 29, 2021
Montgomery Reef, Western Australia
This image shows us the incredible details of how water flows from Montgomery Reef into a channel that empties into the sea. With its total area of 400 square kilometers, it is the largest coastal reef in the world. The area is subject to 10-meter tidal changes! At low tide, more than four meters of the reef can be exposed, and the waterfalls attract migratory birds, feeding turtles, manta rays, blacktip reef sharks, and dugongs (an ocean cousin of the manatee).
Tuesday, November 30, 2021
Phobos over Mars
This image shows the dark silhouette of Mars' inner moon Phobos against the much brighter clouds of Mars.Taken by Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) on October 14, 2014.
Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Namibian Dunes
In this stunning image, the Sun illuminates dunes in the southern desert of Namibia just after sunrise.
Thursday, December 2, 2021
Pluto’s Majestic Mountains, Frozen Plains and Foggy Hazes
Just 15 minutes after its closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft looked back toward the sun and captured this near-sunset view of the rugged, icy mountains and flat ice plains extending to Pluto’s horizon. The smooth expanse of the informally named icy plain Sputnik Planum (right) is flanked to the west (left) by rugged mountains up to 11,000 feet (3,500 meters) high, including the informally named Norgay Montes in the foreground and Hillary Montes on the skyline. To the right, east of Sputnik, rougher terrain is cut by apparent glaciers. The backlighting highlights over a dozen layers of haze in Pluto’s tenuous but distended atmosphere. The image was taken from a distance of 11,000 miles (18,000 kilometers) to Pluto; the scene is 780 miles (1,250 kilometers) wide.
Friday, December 3, 2021
Dunes in North Arabia Terra, Mars
This HiRISE image shows several sand dunes located in the northern part of Arabia Terra, a region that is densely cratered and heavily eroded. The dunes seen here are barchan dunes, which are shaped by winds that predominantly blow from the curve of the crescent (top) down toward the points.
