Planet Four Talk

Entire surface is blue!

  • stephendinesh by stephendinesh

    I am aware that others have seen bright blue (rather than dark) fan. If I'm not wrong, this indicates that the escaping carbon dioxide gas has condensed back into frost on the surface of the ice. Is something similar occurring for this whole bluish area? Or could it be a different phenomenon?

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  • Kitharode by Kitharode moderator

    Although blue fans are not fully understood, your explanation is spot on with current thinking. The blue in your image, I think, is more to do with the covering of ice in the area, but maybe someone else will have more to say about this.

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  • theghost by theghost

    yeah, I was wondering about this green/blue too.

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  • HMB6EQUJ5 by HMB6EQUJ5

    could the extensive area coloration be due to filter? It does come up in several images what intrigues me more are the numerous small "white" points which look similar to boulders.........?

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  • mschwamb by mschwamb scientist, translator

    We don't fully know. It might be a last gasp of thin frost covering the area with the brighter areas being more carbon dioxide ice. Filters do have something to do with it, color isn't exactly the say as human eye color would see but for most image it does try to get close.

    Cheers,

    ~Meg

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