"MADE IN THE SHADE" by MarsX3D

Details: Category: Mars; Written by David Gannett; Hits: 1114

“MADE IN THE SHADE” by MarsX3D

Curiosity Sol 1153 M-100 PDS by Neville Thompson

Link: http://www.gigapan.com/gigapans/195542/snapshots/623396

Anomaly hunters have learned to look into shadows, crevices and caves when searching the Martian surface; it’s only natural for certain living things to seek shelter when possible from harsh sunlight...which believe it or not, is just as much a problem on Mars as it is on Earth!

The target area in our Context View is hard to see, what with the bright sunlight. Not so hard to see is the beautiful rectangular block in the upper left-hand corner (indicated by the Locator Dot).

But let’s get back to the shadow.

The Detail View has had the contrast adjusted a bit to open up the shadow beneath the overhanging rock. Even if the arrow wasn’t pointing right at it, it’d be hard to miss: a perfectly-cubical box with a circular hole or marking on the front. Ok, now what?

What is it? A camera of some kind? A weather station? A tiny Hobbit house? Speculation is gonna get us in trouble again. It’s enough to say that it absolutely should NOT exist on Mars and that it looks as if someone has either tried to hide it or possibly, whatever it is can’t handle direct sunlight (which makes me think it’s a video monitoring device of some kind).

Wouldn’t it be great if Curiosity could roll a little closer and get a good...oh, never mind. Nothing to see here, folks. Movin’ on…

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“SO, HOW DO I VIEW X3D STEREO?”

Simple! While viewing the stereo pair at a comfortable distance, gently cross your eyes (no eye-strain) until you perceive three images all the same width. The one in the center is in 3D. Just relax into it and your eyes will automatically bring it into focus. Once you have it, you will never forget how to do it. Kinda like riding a bicycle…

For another, more detailed method of viewing X3D stereo, click HERE.

(Click for full-sized image)