November 24, 2015

Too steep for ripples

A piece of Mars: This 480×270 m (0.3×0.17 mi) area is a steep slope that plunges down to the upper left. A pile of dark sand, covered by brighter tan dust, clings to the hillside. Usually the martian wind blows […]
November 17, 2015

Windy windows

A Piece of Mars: This 0.96×0.54 km (0.6×0.33 mi) area shows ripples forming on a layer of dark gray material. In a few spots, the gray layer has been eroded away (probably by wind scour), revealing the lighter, tan-colored terrain […]
November 12, 2015

Crochet ripples

A Piece of Mars: This 480×270 m (1575×886 ft) area shows a seemingly endless field of ripples. They’re big, about 50 m (164 ft) from crest to crest, and probably about 5 m (16 ft) high. Is there a knit […]
November 4, 2015

Very long ripples

A Piece of Mars: Most of the scene (0.96×0.54 km or 0.6×0.34 mi) is one long slope of a dune. The crest is the line in the top right; the ground below is in the bottom left. If you ever […]
October 26, 2015

A light touch

A Piece of Mars: This 3.2×1.8 km (2×1.1 mi) area shows terrain covered by bright dust. Dark stripes are areas where wind has lightly scoured the surface, revealing the dark material beneath. Faint bright lines criss-cross the surface – these […]
October 19, 2015

Peas in a pod

A Piece of Mars: These “peas-in-a-pod” are dunes covered in long ripples (the scene is 960×480 m, or 0.6×0.3 mi). They’re a bit odd, surrounded by a rippled apron. It reminds me of melted-looking dunes that are common in high […]
October 12, 2015

Is it windblown or not?

A Piece of Mars: This scene is 0.96×0.54 km (0.60×0.34 mi) across. There’s an old river valley running across it. The walls of the valley have been eroded and there’s a washboard pattern with a wavelength of ~6m (20 ft). […]
October 5, 2015

Parental organizational states

There are three states of parental organization. I’ve done all three on occasion, but I do have my tendencies. We all have our way of getting things done. Here they are: 1. Super organized parent: These are the folks who […]
October 5, 2015

Dune trails

A Piece of Mars: The dark dunes in this 0.96×0.54 km (0.60×0.34 mi) scene are slowly migrating towards the lower left. Look closer and you’ll see brighter ripples between the dunes – the biggest ones are ~8m (26 ft) apart. […]