影像提供: Mars Exploration Rover Mission, JPL, NASA
Explanation:
What if you saw your shadow on Mars and it wasn't human? Then you might be the Opportunity rover currently exploring Mars. Opportunity and sister robot Spirit have been probing the red planet since early 2004, finding evidence of ancient water, and sending breathtaking images across the inner Solar System. Pictured above, Opportunity looks opposite the Sun into Endurance Crater and sees its own shadow. Two wheels are visible on the lower left and right, while the floor and walls of the unusual crater are visible in the background. Opportunity and Spirit have now spent over three years exploring the red world, find new clues into the wet ancient past of our Solar System's second most habitable planet.
說明:
在火星上，如果你自己的影子但又不是人，那是什麼？ 那也許是正在火星上探險的機會號探測車。機會號和姊妹車神號從一月份便已經開始探測這顆紅色行星上古代的水所遺留的證據，並且送回許多穿越內太陽系時拍攝的驚人影像。上圖，機會號看起來是背對太陽而面向Endurance隕石坑，同時拍下自己的影子。在左下角兩個輪子清晰可見，背景則可以看到隕石坑的底部和牆面。機會號已在火星上探索了三年多，找到了許多支持我們太陽系第二適居行星過去有水的新證據。
資料來源: Scientific American
Department of Physics, NCKU