Now you can buy an atlas for the Red Planet

A pocket atlas of Mars has been published that uses geographic techniques developed for maps to reveal a wealth of information about the Red Planet’s surface, climate and clouds. The atlas will be presented this week at the 52nd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.

The 84 page atlas is currently available in English, Hungarian and Czech and will be available in digital format later this year. Developed for use in astronomy clubs and schools, the atlas was funded by the Europlanet Society through its Central European Hub.

Most of the atlas is a series of double spreads showing each of the 30 cartographic quadrilaterals into which the surface of Mars is divided by the US Geological Survey. The landforms created by lava, wind, water and ice are shown separately on a topographic base map, highlighting features such as dune fields, mountain peaks, volcanic calderas, caves, ancient dried up lakes and deltas and fault lines.

For the first time in a published Mars atlas, climate maps have been included, showing 13 climate zones with boundaries defined by a combination of seasonal temperature and frost data. A series of climate diagrams shows the variation in temperature during the Martian year for each of the zones. In addition, a weather map shows ground-level temperatures across the Western Hemisphere of Mars during the two annual solstices.

The atlas also includes an albedo map, derived from data from Mars Express and Mars Global Surveyor, showing the amount of sunlight reflected from the surface, the often overcast areas, and the maximum area covered by the seasonal caps of frozen carbon dioxide and water ice. on the poles of Mars.

The map editor, Henrik Hargitai of Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest and former chairman of the Planetary Cartography Commission of the International Cartographic Association, said: “The maps in the atlas are manually edited using accurate data from missions and models. Thematic maps revealing patterns in physical geography have been used for decades for terrestrial atlases, but this is the first time they are available in an atlas for Mars. The publication of this edition is the result of mapping the past two decades. Atlas also includes a one-page calendar for Mars year 36, covering the period from February 2021 to December 2022, which explains the milestones in the seasonal changes on Mars. “

Future plans for the atlas will include the addition of theme maps detailing areas of interest and atlas-based activities for educators. This type of multi-themed map is not only a resource for relief and education, but can also be of value to the scientific community in interpreting the geological evolution of Mars, estimating whether an area has ever had life, or identifying it in -situ resources to support future human reconnaissance missions.

Provided by Europlanet Media Center