Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                 2021 May 21
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                               Utopia on Mars
       Image Credit: [3]NASA, [4]The Viking Project, M. Dale-Bannister
                         ([5]Washington University)

   Explanation: [6]Expansive Utopia Planitia on Mars is strewn with rocks
   and boulders in this 1976 image. [7]Constructed from the [8]Viking 2
   lander's color and black and white image data, the scene approximates
   the appearance of the high northern martian plain to the human eye. For
   scale, the prominent rounded rock near center is about 20 centimeters
   (just under 8 inches) across. Farther back on the right side of the
   frame the a dark angular boulder spans about 1.5 meters (5 feet). Also
   in view are two trenches dug by the lander's sampler arm, the ejected
   protective shroud that covered the soil collector head, and one of the
   lander's dust covered footpads at the lower right. On May 14,
   [9]China's Zhurong Mars rover successfully touchdown on Mars and has
   returned the first images of` [10]its landing site in Utopia Planitia.

                      Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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    Authors & editors: [22]Robert Nemiroff ([23]MTU) & [24]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([25]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [26]Specific rights apply.
              [27]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [28]ASD at [29]NASA / [30]GSFC
                           & [31]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2105/vikinglander2-2.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/viking.html
   5. https://www.wustl.edu/
   6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utopia_Planitia
   7. https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/photogallery-mars.html#surface
   8. https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1975-083C
   9. https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-statement-on-china-s-zhurong-mars-rover-photos
  10. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2278064-chinas-zhurong-mars-rover-takes-its-first-photos-from-the-surface/
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210520.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  15. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  20. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=210521
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210522.html
  22. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  23. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  24. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  25. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  27. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  28. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  31. http://www.mtu.edu/