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What did Mars South Polar Cap look like 2 years ago... 22 years ago?
Here are side-by-side comparisons of TES data from 1998 and Viking IRTM from 1977, taken for approximately the current season on Mars. A comparison of past data with current TES data shows a polar cap receding in much the same manner year after year.
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_T20(!Uo!NC).gif', 555, 555) "Click to see a larger version")
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The left image is a 20 μm image of the south pole reconstructed from Viking 2 IRTM data (Jan 1977). The arrows point in the direction of midnight. The next image is TES data taken November 20-21, 1997, at about the same season. The last image is current TES bolometric data from Oct 1-3,1999.
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_Albedo(L).gif', 555, 555) "Click to see a larger version")
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Day_Albedo(L).gif', 555, 555) "Click to see a larger version")
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The left image is the albedo of the south pole reconstructed from Viking 2 IRTM data (Jan 1977). The arrows point in the direction of midnight. The next image is TES data taken November 20-21, 1997, at about the same season. The last image is the cap's recent Albedo data. All three Martians years show the Cryptic Region in aproximately the same location.