Light and dark

A Piece of Mars: This 0.96×0.54 km (0.6×0.34 mi) late winter scene is a study in contrast. The dark top half is uniformly rippled. This is the shady surface of the main windward side of one of Mars’ biggest dunes, in Kaiser crater. On the bottom is the sunlit side of the dune, strewn with gullies colored by CO2 frost (white), dark basaltic sand (black), and what may be oxidized fines (orange). (HiRISE ESP_045614_1330, NASA/JPL/Univ. of Arizona)