                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                 2021 July 4

                              The Face on Mars
                    Image Credit: NASA, Viking 1 Orbiter

   Explanation: Wouldn't it be fun if clouds were castles? Wouldn't it be
   fun if the laundry on the bedroom chair was a superhero? Wouldn't it be
   fun if rock mesas on Mars were interplanetary monuments to the human
   face? Clouds, though, are floating droplets of water and ice. Laundry
   is cotton, wool, or plastic, woven into garments. Famous Martian rock
   mesas known by names like the Face on Mars appear quite natural when
   seen more clearly on better images. Is reality boring? Nobody knows why
   some clouds make rain. Nobody knows if life ever developed on Mars.
   Nobody knows why the laundry on the bedroom chair smells like root
   beer. Scientific exploration can not only resolve mysteries, but
   uncover new knowledge, greater mysteries, and yet deeper questions. As
   humanity explores our universe, perhaps fun -- through discovery -- is
   just beginning.

                      Tomorrow's picture: horse of blue
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
                             & Michigan Tech. U.


