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.

March 9, 1998

Yogi Rock on Mars
Credit: T. Parker (JPL) et al., Mars Pathfinder, NASA

Explanation: Yogi is possibly the best photographed rock on Mars. By combining many pictures taken during the Mars Pathfinder Mission last year, scientists were able to create a super-resolution, digitally enhanced image that better allows them to study Yogi's surface and more accurately determine how Yogi was formed. The smoothness of some Martian rocks suggests previous interactions with water, implying that Mars was both warmer and wetter in the past.

Tomorrow's picture: Cracks and Ridges on Europa

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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA)
NASA Technical Rep.: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA/ GSFC
&: Michigan Tech. U.