Distant vistas, Endeavour, Iazu, and beyond Options

[fredk]

To answer Ustrax's querries from the other thread, I think we can now see more of the south west rim of Endeavour and Iazu. In this image I've lined up the views from 1987 pancam (colour on bottom, from Astro in this post) and 2136 navcam (top, from Ant's navcam mosiac):

The leftmost (Endeavour north rim) and middle (far rim) features look similar. But it looks like we can see more stuff on the right, which is Endeavour south rim and Iazu. The view we had a few sols ago (2133) of Iazu was still partly obscured by dunes, so it makes sense that we can see more now.

I can't see Bopolu in the navcams, though it could be there and buried in the jpeg noise...

[ngunn]

Santa Maria? At least it is more or less in the correct heading.

That looks too far away to me - more like a far rim feature - though I could be misreading the view. When it does appear I'm expecting to see quite a bit of 'parking lot' extending beyond it.

[jamescanvin]

My version of the Solander Point mosaic of Endeavour from yestersol.

[jamescanvin]

I agree, it looks like a far rim feature to me and matches the heading of a suitable looking one. I think Santa Maria should appear further to the right, close to the left end of the large range of far rim peaks (4-5) degrees to the right of that feature.

[fredk]

I'm wondering if the dark feature on the left-most image could be ... Santa Maria?

I agree with ngunn and James. A few posts ago MoreInput made some identifications on the horizon that I agree with. The line between his regions A and B is I think a near horizon, so there's ground between A and B that we can't see yet because it's below the local horizon. I'd say this has to be the case because Santa Maria is still invisible.

That near horizon is much better defined in some L7/R1 images, such as this one:
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...1M1.JPG?sol2365
It looks pretty clearly like a near horizon in this image, with the farther area B quite a bit lighter due to dust/haze along the longer line of sight. Because B is so much lighter, it must be much farther than A, so I think it's a big area we can't see.

At some point we'll see all of the surface between A and B, including Santa Maria, and that should make a HOAV...

[ngunn]

When Santa Maria does appear it will be big. I estimate that it already subtends an angle of 3 degrees from our current location. If we're a good bit closer when it comes into view it will span a significant fraction of a pancam width.

[Stu]

Lots of cruddy L6 raws of the farside came down today. Had a bit of a stack and clean-up...



Tiny difference, if any, but I wanted to give it a go. Interested in the light line across that farside crater, which hasn't shown - IIRC - on any other images...



Probably an imaging artefact. Just caught my eye, that's all.

Hoping this sequence has been taken so the MER guys can make a hi-resolution version of the view, to be released at the same time as the name of that crater on the far slope. Really is about time they chose a name for that.

[ustrax]

My version of the Solander Point mosaic of Endeavour from yestersol.

Do you mean Solander as in...Solander?

[Pando]

<cough> hey ustrax... are we there yet?

[Julius]

Just read the mer update...it says that hydrated minerals could be seen as close as Santa Maria...how much lower is opportunity downslope at this current position compared to the landing spot at eagle crater?

[Tesheiner]

Could it be Cape York? I think at least it is on the proper heading.

Original: http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...QCP2439L2M1.JPG

[fredk]

I think that's a crater on the far rim - check out Canvin's identification here.

[ElkGroveDan]

I am beginning to think that Cape York doesn't exist. It's just a large stain on the ground that has us all fooled.

[jamescanvin]

Endeavour on sol 2424:

[Bill]

Any idea of what we are seeing on the horizon ?
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...OXP2365R2M1.JPG
I presume that we can't see anymore from this place the SE-Miyamoto rim and especially during the dusty spring.

[ElkGroveDan]

Endeavour on sol 2424:

5X stretch of James' pan. By my guess-timation that little bump should be about on the heading of Cape York. Not saying it is, but it's in about the right place.

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