Just a week before a dust storm covered the Martian south pole, this colour photograph was taken by Dr. Robert Leighton with the 60 inch reflector at

---

Just a week before a dust storm covered the Martian south pole, this colour photograph was taken by Dr. Robert Leighton with the 60 inch reflector at the Mt. Wilson, California, USA, on August 24th 1956. Earth was in opposition, meaning it was between the Sun and Mars. The dark features in the centre were called Mare Cimmerium and Mare Sirenum, the brighter area below Cebrenia. The names were confirmed by the International Astronomical Union in 1958. New names were given when the spacecrafts transmitted pictures of a cratered world.

---

Size: 4180px × 4180px
Photo credit: © NASA/VRS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 1956, astronomical, astronomy, bright, cap, color, colour, dark, exposure, features, filter, magnification, mars, martian, mt, observation, observatory, planet, planetary, polar, science, solar, space, system, time, wilson