[X] My Assistant

[marswiggle]

About the 'white dot': measuring from latest pancam images, the angle between the dot and the middle of the 'corner crater' is about 10.5 °. Laid on the map, from Oppy's current location this matches exactly with a small whitish mound on the near rim of VC, which I have long suspected to be the 'beacon'. Someone else also suggested it here.

Supposing it's the beacon also helps putting some other features there to their places. For the attached image I reused some images originally made by dilo (if I remember right and if you don't mind). It's somewhat reduced. (Please ignore the red broken lines from the earlier work. )

Yellow lines = bearings of the beacon dot and the crater

Editing note: Attachment changed for similar one without panorama limits (as they are harder to estimate), and being slightly larger.

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[jamescanvin]

Nice.

Makes a lot of sense, thanks.

'Corner Crater' is starting to look interesting I hope we end up passing nearby.

James

[dilo]

Pando, your 3D model / animation is great!
Exactly, how did you made it? Are you using the same digital model posted some time ago by Terragen user?
(A couple of small suggestions to improve animation: lower the direction of view in order to better see the near-side features and change general hue toward red...)
Thank you again.

[dilo]

About the 'white dot':
...
For the attached image I reused some images originally made by dilo (if I remember right and if you don't mind). It's somewhat reduced. (Please ignore the red broken lines from the earlier work. )

No problem. Your beacon identification matches with previous analysis made by myself...

[Bill Harris]

About the 'white dot': measuring from latest pancam images...

Very good analysis. I had assumed that the "Beacon" was associated with the fresh impact crater on the far rim and we were able to view it by chance alignment through on of the scallops in the near rim, but the angular position of the "Beacon" does seem to place it at that promontory on the near rim.

I hope we'll make a stop at "Corner Crater" (which I informally think of as "Bullseye Crater" since it is on the bearing direction we've been heading). It will provide a preview of the subsurface conditions at Victoria.

--Bill

[Joffan]

Nice alignment marswiggle. I think though that this makes a strong case for the White Pyramid being one of two promontories on the far rim, since they will be showing rock towards Opportunity, whereas the near rim will show mostly ejecta blanket.

The view here which has not been stretched implies to me that the near-rim option is exceptionally unlikely. It's not just a speck, it's a sizable structure.

[marswiggle]

Indeed I like best looking the non-stretched images myself, but this landscape has taught me to respect the 'stretchers' here (reference to persons as well as their renderings).

In all stretched images the Beacon/Pyramid sits almost exactly on top of the highest point of the bulging VC. If it's rising from the far side, then it is sizeable anyway . IMHO it would need to be a _towering_ peak (in terms of Meridiani) at the far side to show above this local high. Also note that the far rim is ~2100 m away while the near side is ~1400 m, and this is a small globe.

Yet, we do know from experience that this is not the most predictable small globe in most cases.

[centsworth_II]

Just a reminder of another beacon seen by Opportunity while still in Eagle crater. This beacon came from the cliffs on the far rim of Endurance. It's easy to imagine that the Victoria beacon could also come from cliffs on the far side.

One thing could dissuade this belief: Is enough known about the relative elevations of the area to unequivically state that the far rim of Victoria is lower than the near rim and no part of it could be seen by Opportunity from its present location?


(Pancam taken on sol 35. Horizon straightened and corners filled by cloning.)

[Shaka]

OK, Back to those enigmatic black cobbles, from the enigmatic white beacon.
James' nice update of the route map for sol 808 shows us just entered the splotch of enigmatically dark ripples:
http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.p...pe=post&id=5425

But they are less enigmatic because the latest pan cams show they are densely littered with the cobbles:
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...2JP2402L2M1.JPG
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...2JP2402L2M1.JPG

So we may be able to plot their distribution from orbit, though I don't see any simple pattern focussed on Victoria. I personally doubt that they are homologous to the dark apron and wind streaks of the latter, or that they originate there, but if proven wrong when we get there, I will be duly humbled by the mysteries that have come to us Out of the Silent Planet.

[tty]

I will be duly humbled by the mysteries that have come to us Out of the Silent Planet.

I thought that was Earth....

tty

[Shaka]

Lewis and I have differing philosophical positions on that. To me Earth is the noisy planet!

[Phil Stooke]

Too right, Shaka!

Phil

[imipak]

Get with the program folks!
BTW, great jorb, Pando.

I'm one of the ones who asked if there was any chance of an open/standards-based formatted version. Now I've watched it without having to fall back on a non-Free legacy system , using a computer running entirely Free software, I'm very impressed with a lovely piece of work - thanks, Pando! Hopefully I'll be coming back to this animation repeatedly in the next months as Oppy explores Victoria...

[dilo]

Excellent MGS identifican of black cobbles, Shaka!

[Ant103]

Hello.

Yesterday, I've build a Terragen panorama of Victoria Crater from the arrival point targeted by Tesheiner route map.


(click to enlarge)

And here is an aerial view of the location of this virtual Opportunity's panorama :



Enjoy!