Pillar of light emanating from Mars surface photographed by NASA - Polidicks

[QUOTE=Excalibuurr;44489585]Um, it's probably just an electrified dust storm caused by global warming.[/QUOTE] are you a scientist

Even though it's probably just a natural surface phenomena or a light trick/camera malfunction, I still hope it's alien-related. There's nothing concrete yet in regards to this that points to alien life, but dear god do I hope it's more than just an insignificant natural event and/or camera issue. It looks just a bit too defined and bright to be nothing but a dust storm or camera glint in my opinion, more like a focused artificial light source. Then again, a lot of seemingly-indisputable "unnatural" phenomena that have turned out to just be nothing. Reality's kind of a bitch like that. [editline]Is it me, or does the NASA website have a picture of Tallon IV from Metroid Prime as a tab icon?[/editline] For anyone else who's interested like me, here's the raw photo from NASA's official website, thumbnailed for size and in a little bit better quality. I recommend looking at it in a new tab and zooming in, you can see how the light is a defined "pillar" much better: [thumb]http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/surface/sol/00589/opgs/edr/ncam/NRB_449790582EDR_F0310000NCAM00262M_.JPG[/thumb]

[QUOTE=Woovie;44489222] Edit: The only person saying aliens is a UFO spotter retard.[/QUOTE] One day someone is going to utter those words and for the first time ever, they'll be the retard.

i was wrong see below

It's a cosmic ray. Nothing interesting here. There have been pictures like this before (e.g. [URL]http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/surface/sol/00504/opgs/edr/fcam/FLB_442235847EDR_F0250000FHAZ00323M_.JPG[/URL] - look at upper right corner). Here's the right image of stereoscopic pair: [URL]http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/surface/sol/00589/opgs/edr/ncam/NRB_449790582EDR_F0310000NCAM00262M_.JPG[/URL] [img_thumb]http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/surface/sol/00589/opgs/edr/ncam/NRB_449790582EDR_F0310000NCAM00262M_.JPG[/img_thumb] Here's the left image of stereoscopic pair: [URL]http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/surface/sol/00589/opgs/edr/ncam/NLB_449790582EDR_F0310000NCAM00262M_.JPG[/URL] [img_thumb]http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/surface/sol/00589/opgs/edr/ncam/NLB_449790582EDR_F0310000NCAM00262M_.JPG[/img_thumb] [b]The cameras take picture at exact same time to create a stereoscopic pair. If something appears in one picture and not the other one, it's definitely not a tangible physical object.[/b] Nothing but cosmic ray hitting CCD while it was taking a picture. The flux is low, but non-zero. If you want to see more cosmic rays, here's 30 second exposure of blackness (nothingness): [URL]http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/surface/sol/00113/opgs/edr/ncam/NLA_407549277EDR_F0050432NCAM00538M_.JPG[/URL] [img_thumb]http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/surface/sol/00113/opgs/edr/ncam/NLA_407549277EDR_F0050432NCAM00538M_.JPG[/img_thumb] Everything that doesn't look like noise is the result of cosmic ray in last picture. Quick description of mechanism: a particle is moving at very high speed and has a lot of energy. It was emitted by sun (or comes from elsewhere, other galaxies, stars etc). When it hits a normal object, this particle is slowed down by objects atoms and heats them up slightly - so if it hits a piece of plastic, you simply get localized heating which goes into lattice of object and dissipates. If a cosmic ray hits a CCD sensor, the energy goes into generating extra charge (electrons) as well as heating. This extra energy will be recorded as a bright pixel (or several pixels). If cosmic ray is highly energetic, it will also bleed into nearby pixels/smear.

you obviously don't know what you're talking about, it's clearly a light pillar

[QUOTE=DOG-GY;44489827][img]http://puu.sh/813Pf.jpg[/img] it has a clear source that it's emanating from. the likelihood of it being something due to the camera or optics is extremely low.[/QUOTE] It really does look too defined and prominent to just be something insignificant, in my opinion. I don't really think any of the guesses made as to what it is are truly concrete enough to describe it. A shiny rock wouldn't make a glimmer that goes up that high, an optics/camera issue wouldn't create something so clearly anchored to the ground, and I don't think an electrically-charged dust storm would make that bright and solid of a light from that far away. Besides, regarding the possibility of an electrical dust storm forming, I thought Mars was pretty definitively dead, in a geological, atmospheric and rotational sense. Where the hell would the currents needed to make such a storm even come from on a world as dead and still as Mars? No water, no real atmospheric conditions of any kind, and no other potential wind sources that I know of. Could electrical energy move actually make a dust storm like that?

They've decided to communicate with us during the Mars opposition. Look to the east tonight during the sunset and you just might see the light pillar.

[QUOTE=TheRealRudy;44489902]Please someone call a Doctor![/QUOTE] which Doctor? the 9th or the 10th one?

[QUOTE=BlackPhoenix;44489852]It's a cosmic ray. Nothing interesting here. There have been pictures like this before (e.g. [URL]http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/surface/sol/00504/opgs/edr/fcam/FLB_442235847EDR_F0250000FHAZ00323M_.JPG[/URL] - look at upper right corner). Here's the right image of stereoscopic pair: [URL]http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/surface/sol/00589/opgs/edr/ncam/NRB_449790582EDR_F0310000NCAM00262M_.JPG[/URL] [img_thumb]http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/surface/sol/00589/opgs/edr/ncam/NRB_449790582EDR_F0310000NCAM00262M_.JPG[/img_thumb] Here's the left image of stereoscopic pair: [URL]http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/surface/sol/00589/opgs/edr/ncam/NLB_449790582EDR_F0310000NCAM00262M_.JPG[/URL] [img_thumb]http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/surface/sol/00589/opgs/edr/ncam/NLB_449790582EDR_F0310000NCAM00262M_.JPG[/img_thumb] Nothing but cosmic ray hitting CCD while it was taking a picture. The flux is low, but non-zero. If you want to see more cosmic rays, here's 30 second exposure of blackness (nothingness): [URL]http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/surface/sol/00113/opgs/edr/ncam/NLA_407549277EDR_F0050432NCAM00538M_.JPG[/URL] [img_thumb]http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/proj/msl/redops/ods/surface/sol/00113/opgs/edr/ncam/NLA_407549277EDR_F0050432NCAM00538M_.JPG[/img_thumb] Everything that doesn't look like noise is the result of cosmic ray in last picture. Quick description of mechanism: a particle is moving at very high speed and has a lot of energy. It was emitted by sun (or comes from elsewhere, other galaxies, stars etc). When it hits a normal object, this particle is slowed down by objects atoms and heats them up slightly - so if it hits a piece of plastic, you simply get localized heating which goes into lattice of object and dissipates. If a cosmic ray hits a CCD sensor, the energy goes into generating extra charge (electrons) as well as heating. This extra energy will be recorded as a bright pixel (or several pixels). If cosmic ray is highly energetic, it will also bleed into nearby pixels/smear.[/QUOTE] ahh i didn't consider cosmic rays since i didn't see the stereo pair images. this makes a whole lot more sense!

[QUOTE=TurboSax;44489891]an optics/camera issue wouldn't create something so clearly anchored to the ground[/QUOTE] That is wrong. Cosmic ray can hit any part of CCD sensor, and it's likely to generate a light trace in any place. People didn't care much about other pictures cause those pictures weren't posted in public news websites (not even talking about bright traces not being in any notable location, cause that doesn't matter in the end).

[QUOTE=markg06;44489239]That's what the aliens want us to believe.[/QUOTE] they're just jelly of the nuclear powered master race

Don't do it, don't do it, don't do it, don't do it [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lORT_5hUaFY[/media]

It's amazing how some people feel the need to come to conclusions about photos that they know nothing about other than 1) They're from NASA 2) They're on the Internet Let the scientists come to their conclusions. You know, the guys who put the rover on Mars, designed the equipment that takes the damn pictures, and who can account for any glitches that can result from pictures being taken in that environment.

It's a weather balloon people, nothing to see here, move along.

[QUOTE=DChapsfield;44489268][t]http://hopeliesat24framespersecond.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/mars-attacks.jpg[/t] I DON'T LIKE IT I DON'T LIKE IT[/QUOTE] I want this as a poster.

It is either one of the following 1) ruins from an ancient civilization that has somehow resurfaced and is glinting in the light 2) some sort of camera fault 3) most likely - Cosmic rays/radiation interfering with the cameras electronics causing visual artifact(s) 4) most unlikely - a dust storm, it looks to straight/arterial to be a dust storm 5) something 'wet' reflecting the light in an odd way although that seems unlikely given the location of the light source What I don't understand is why they never go to explore these anomalies and see what they are

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFPwm0e_K98[/media]

[QUOTE=kidwithsword;44490217]It's amazing how some people feel the need to come to conclusions about photos that they know nothing about other than 1) They're from NASA 2) They're on the Internet Let the scientists come to their conclusions. You know, the guys who put the rover on Mars, designed the equipment that takes the damn pictures, and who can account for any glitches that can result from pictures being taken in that environment.[/QUOTE] Are you trying to tell me that bored people on the internet are going to possibly make up stories to try and make each other laugh?

[QUOTE=TurboSax;44489891]It really does look too defined and prominent to just be something insignificant, in my opinion. I don't really think any of the guesses made as to what it is are truly concrete enough to describe it. A shiny rock wouldn't make a glimmer that goes up that high, an optics/camera issue wouldn't create something so clearly anchored to the ground, and I don't think an electrically-charged dust storm would make that bright and solid of a light from that far away. Besides, regarding the possibility of an electrical dust storm forming, I thought Mars was pretty definitively dead, in a geological, atmospheric and rotational sense. Where the hell would the currents needed to make such a storm even come from on a world as dead and still as Mars? No water, no real atmospheric conditions of any kind, and no other potential wind sources that I know of. Could electrical energy move actually make a dust storm like that?[/QUOTE] you realize there's dust devils and huge sandstorms all over the planet right

[QUOTE=Grimhound;44489256]variety of methods including spontaneous manifestation, masturbation, and giant pokemon battling.[/QUOTE] In that order?