February 5, 1998
In the time it took you to read this, the Earth moved another thousand miles through space. You are not standing still. You never have been.
A Martian River Bed?
Birthday · February 5, 1998
A little universe, just for you
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APOD published February 5, 1998. Full image credits are on the original APOD entry below. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
This canyon on the surface of Mars appears to have been carved by flowing water. Known as Nanedi Vallis, the terraces and channels visible within the canyon strongly suggest that a river of water once ran here. But the lack of smaller surface channels and other features argue that the valley was formed by a surface collapse. Further images of Martian valley systems will help distinguish the degree to which these processes affected the Martian surface. This image was recorded on January 8th by the Mars Global Surveyor's camera during its 87th orbit of the red planet. The area pictured is about 6 miles wide. High resolution versions of the image show features that are as small as 40 feet across.