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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Astronomy Picture of the Day
@apod@reentry.codl.fr  ·  activity timestamp 6 days ago

Galle: Happy Face Crater on Mars
Image Credit: NASA, MGS, MSSS

Explanation: Mars has put on a happy face. The Martian crater Galle is famous because it has internal markings that make it look like a face that is both smiling and winking. These markings were originally discovered in the 1970s in pictures taken by the Viking Orbiter. The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft that orbited Mars from 1996 to 2006 captured the featured picture. Happy Face Crater and its iconic features were formed by chance billions of years ago when a city-sized asteroid slammed into the Martian surface. All rocky planets and moons in our Solar System show impact craters, with the highest number of craters found on Earth's Moon and the planet Mercury. Earth and Venus would show the most, though, were it not for weather and erosion.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260201.html #apod

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Several craters are visible on a tan surface. The largest crater, on the right, has internal markings that make it look like a winking face with a smile.
Several craters are visible on a tan surface. The largest crater, on the right, has internal markings that make it look like a winking face with a smile.
Several craters are visible on a tan surface. The largest crater, on the right, has internal markings that make it look like a winking face with a smile.
Sorry, no caption provided by author
Sorry, no caption provided by author
Sorry, no caption provided by author
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