Image 1 Caption: A Mercator projection collage-image map of Mars in true color with Martian geography illustrated.

Features:

1. Image 2 Caption: A Mercator projection all-Mars physical map (also a topographic map) with displayed Martian geographic coordinates and geographic feature names. But the geographic feature names are in really small, inconspicuous print, unless you click on the image and magnify.

2. Zero longitude is in the center of both images.

3. The large dark region in the eastern hemisphere (290° W) is Syrtis Major which is the most prominent dark region seen from Earth and was first identified by Christiaan Huygens (1629--1695) in the 17th century.

4. Crater Schiaparelli is on the equator just east of zero longitude. This impact crater is named for Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli (1835--1910) who in 1877 concluded that the Martian canals were a major feature of Mars.

   Actually, in calling them canali in Italian, he was NOT implying that they were artificial: his meaning was probably closer to the English channels (Se-477--478).

   Schiaparelli did think they could be full of liquid water which was quite wrong.

5. Valles Marineris is the "wry smile" stretching over about 60° and centered at about 90 W just below the equator.

   The western hemisphere can most easily be identified by spotting Valles Marineris.

6. West of Valles Marineris are three volcanoes in a row and to the west of those is Olympus Mons, the largest known volcano in the Solar System.

   These volcanoes are all in the Tharsis region: this is a giant dome or bulge or plateau that is, perhaps, above a giant mantle plumes that has forced it up and given rise to the region's strong volcanism (HI-190--191).

   The Tharsis region may be something like coronae of Venus (HI-191).

7. Hellas Planitia is a basin centered at about 40 S, 70 E. It is low, circular region probably formed by a impactor similar to the ones that formed the Orientale Basin on the Moon and the Caloris Basin on Mercury???? (HI-199).

8. Note the southern hemisphere looks more heavily cratered than the northern hemisphere.

9. Question: If the collage-image map is accurate, what hemisphere is experiencing winter?
   1. The northern hemisphere.
   2. The southern hemisphere.
   3. The eastern hemisphere.
   4. The western hemisphere.

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Answer 1 MAY be right.

   The north polar cap of Mars has a residual summertime diameter of about 1000 km. The south polar cap of Mars has a residual summertime diameter of about 350 km.

   The polar caps expand in the winter due to CO_2 ice deposition and contract in the summer due to CO_2 ice sublimation.

   The intrinsic size difference between the polar caps makes it hard without detailed information to know what season our collage-image map comes from.

Images:

1. Credit/Permission: NASA, USGS, before or circa 2003 / Public domain.
   Download site: Views of the Solar System by Calvin J. Hamilton: CJH does NOT give an original download site.
   Image link: Itself.
   
2. Credit/Permission: NASA, before or circa 2003 / Public domain.
   Download site: marsmap1b.jpg.
   Image link: Itself.