It is mid-summer in the northern hemisphere of Mars--a time of
enhanced heating that leads to the release of water vapor into
the atmosphere. In the north polar region, temperature
differences between bright areas of year-round ice and dark
areas of sand and rock create strong winds that mix the
atmosphere and create waves of clouds that swirl around the
polar cap. Sometimes, as seen during the Viking mission, these
winds form tight cyclones; other times, they weave an intricate
pattern reflecting the turbulence of the circulation of the
atmosphere. This image is the second of five that are part of an
animation that shows four days of observations of a
representative portion of the northern hemisphere. Malin Space
Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built
the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission.
MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, CA.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project
operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft w