[X] My Assistant

[elakdawalla]

It's that time of year again -- time to look back and figure out what were the absolutely most fabulous images of 2006. As I did last year I'm going to be producing a feature for the Society's website with 20 or so pictures that are not only beautiful but also mark significant events in planetary exploration. There are a couple that are obvious choices, like the Saturn eclipse mosaic and the HiRISE view of Oppy approaching Victoria. I want to try to hit all the missions that were active this year if possible.

So here's your chance to suggest your favorites. I can't include them all of course but with y'all's help I should be able to develop a diverse list, and maybe come up with a couple that will surprise people.

--Emily

[Guest_AlexBlackwell_*]

I think a couple of the images from here and/or here might be appropriate

[elakdawalla]

Yes, but which?

[Guest_AlexBlackwell_*]

Okay, from MSSS: this one, this one, and this one.

From HiRISE: since everyone else is going to vote for either Opportunity or Spirit, I'll recommend VL1.

[djellison]

I second http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2006/1...674_14color.jpg - it's a beauty.

I think some images of Aerogel and Stardust@Home obs have to go in there....

I'd also add this one - http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images...s121e06040.html -

this
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/r...s/2006/2006/41/

and this... Red jnr
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/r...s/2006/2006/19/

Also - grab a sexy pic of the Atlas V New Horizons launch...that think went off like a...a...er... rocket?



Also - the Pancam guys have just finished the Duck Bay.... James' is very good - but when you have the proper data to hand...well...you can't go wrong..

http://pancam.astro.cornell.edu/pancam_ins...t/duck_bay.html


Doug

[lyford]

What - nobody nominated backlit Saturn?


EDIT: DOH! Missed it in your OP, Emily.....

Or scalloped rings?


Or Venus Express?


I never thought I'd say it, but there's more to life than Mars!

Apologies if the embedded images are too large - I'll edit them out if people complain.

Edited to remove NON PLANETARY related images. Sorry, cosmologists.

[lyford]

OK - a few more

Stardust comes home


The Beard of Stars...


I love this one of Cliffbot with Jake Maule from your own site...


And I second the New Horizons launch, or maybe it's first glimpse of Pluto....


And finally, the photojournalistic efforts of yours truly to break the new rover design at the 2006 JPL Open House:


OK, maybe that last one, not so much.... But that kid did get pretty close to Centaur and Athlete!

[tuvas]

I know I'm a HiRISE person, but my favs have yet to be released (Except for the lander pictures). But for another signifigant picture, of another planet (Moon actually),

[jamescanvin]

(Moon actually)

Which reminds me - the CFHT image of the SMART-1 impact should be in there.

[elakdawalla]

Thanks heaps for the suggestions. I'm surprised though that only one MER image has been suggested so far. Surely the folks on this forum can have a little debate about what image(s) should stand for the last year's worth of Spirit and Opportunity activity besides the Duck Bay pan...though I guess a Low Ridge Haven pan for Spirit is inescapable...

--Emily

[lyford]

Surely the folks on this forum can have a little debate about what image(s) should stand for the last year's worth of Spirit and Opportunity...

Oh my... quite the firestarter aren't we?

[Bjorn Jonsson]

My list is heavily biased towards Cassini (and also it's probably too long) since I've been following it more closely than the Mars missions.

To me, Cassini's backlit Saturn wins by a wide margin (actually it may be the planetary image of the century so far, at least as far as beauty is concerned):
http://ciclops.org/view_event.php?id=56

There are some more Cassini images.

Saturn's south polar storm:
http://ciclops.org/view_event.php?id=57

Some of the highly spectacular Cassini images showing high-altitude clouds and cloud shadows, e.g. these two:
http://ciclops.org/view.php?id=2327
http://ciclops.org/view.php?id=2324

Rhea hiding behind the rings:
http://ciclops.org/view.php?id=2100

Enceladus' jets:
http://ciclops.org/view.php?id=2011

Beautiful views of satellites silhouetted against Saturn's vast backdrop:
http://ciclops.org/view.php?id=2256
http://ciclops.org/view.php?id=1953
http://ciclops.org/view.php?id=1920

The radar images of Titan's lakes.

Plus many more.

'None-Cassini' images
New Horizons' first image of Pluto

A New Horizons launch photo

An MGS image showing new gullies and another one showing a new crater (from the press conference a few weeks ago).

The MRO HiRISE image that appeared on the cover on The Planetary Report Nov/Dec 2006. Actually most or even *all* of the MRO images are good candidates.

The MRO HiRISE image showing Viking Lander 2 (since its location wasn't exactly known, unlike the other successful landers).

Some of the recent MRO CRISM and SHARAD stuff (I haven't had time to have a proper look at it yet).

Let's not forget Uranus:
http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2006/47/

Some of the Opportunity mosaics of Victoria, perhaps some of the early ones showing Oppy *really* had arrived there.

Spirit's McMurdo panorama.

Plus a lot more I'm sure I'm forgetting (HST images of Jupiter's new red spot, Venus Express images, probably the recent 'hot' ones, radar images of Mercury mentioned here, SMART's impact etc.).

[CosmicRocker]

I keep forgetting to check this corner of the forum. With the MER accomplishments, HiRise, Cassini, MGS observations of recent changes, and other wildly successful missions, this has been quite a fantastic year for space exploration. It will be quite difficult to choose the best few. I think you are going to need a large gallery.

The backlit Saturn images were amazing, but there were many awesome views from the bright side showing atmospheric banding overlain by rings and shadows of rings, sometimes with interspersed moons and their shadows that truly exhibited a fascinating view of projected geometry in space.

As for our beloved rovers, the view of the century had to be Spirit's long baseline stereo of the inner basin, but that was taken in late 2005. For Spirit 2006, various views of El Dorado were pretty nice, but I think the first image of Home Plate's cross section, when textures like the upper cross-laminations and the coarser lower layers became visible, would be appropriate. For Opportunity on the other side of the planet, an image showing the maize of drifts it miraculously struggled through to reach it's ultimate goal would be inspiring. I nominate one of Nirgal's colorizations. It would be difficult to leave a view of Victoria out of this collection, but which is best?

One last thought regarding the rovers...include something from the under appreciated MI. Along with the RAT, the MI turned out to be quite a useful tool. Don't forget the festoons. Spirit returned the most diverse set of MI images. Between the two rovers, there were some pretty significant MIs that were sent home. It would be difficult to choose a favorite. Oh, and the dust devils...

I am so lost in the huge HiRise images that I only have a vague idea of my favorite crop. This has been quite a spectacular year for space exploration. I know that I haven't been able to keep up with it all.

[PDP8E]

hi,

How about phobos/deimos transits as seen from MER

backyard astronomy from a geologist robot on another planet in its spare time!

ciao bella!

[mhoward]

I'm tempted to nominate today's CICLOPS picture of the day. Just when you think the pictures from Saturn can't get any more amazing, they do.