The Hills of Mars
Distant hills rise above a rocky, windswept plain in
this sharp stereo scene
from the Spirit rover
on Mars.
When viewed with red/blue glasses, the picture combines
left and right images from Spirit's high resolution
panoramic camera
to yield a dramatic 3D perspective.
The hills were estimated to lie about 2 kilometers away
and be approximately 50 to 100 meters high.
Along with other features of the landscape, determining their
direction and distance will help
pinpoint
the exact location of the
Spirit landing site when compared with high resolution
images of the region taken
from Mars orbit.
Much stereo
image data, allowing important estimates
of three dimensional shapes, sizes, and distances, is anticipated
from the rover's cameras.
(Editor's note: Red/blue glasses for viewing stereo
pictures can be
purchased or simply
constructed using
red and blue plastic for filters. Try it!
To view this image, the red filter is used for the left eye.)