Albuquerque: October 19, 2007 - R. Bhambhani from Albuquerque asks certain questions from Dr. Raj Baldev, noted Cosmo Theorist from India, and an authority on Black Hole and the theory of Origin of the Universe. Dr. Raj Baldev, please tell for the benefit of the reader ‘What is Maunder crater? Is it correct that Mars is more attractive than the Moon?

Dr. Raj Baldev, Cosmo Theorist:  There is no doubt that people have an equal rather more attraction in Mars than in Moon. The moon is nearest to us and it is nearest to our heart and soul, because it controls water all over the Earth by its gravitation pull and creates balance and stir in our seas and oceans. Even our body is affected by Moon in terms of astrological and biologial effects.

Dr. Raj Baldev (Cosmo Theorist) : The Mars has identical approach like that of the Earth in certain areas. Let us take ‘Martian Crater’ for instance; this is located on the surface of Mars, and it is   very fascinating. Dunes of this kind are also found on Earth, for example in the West-African Namib desert.

Q: Who captured this image? What are its qualities that you may like to tell the interested students in general?

Dr. Raj Baldev (Cosmo Theorist):  It is captured by ESA’s Mars Express in late 2005  at a resolution of roughly 15 metres per pixel. its diameter is around 90 km or 56 miles crossways. It is deep, but less than a kilometer, about 900 meters. It might be deeper in the past but seems to be filled to an extent by the geologic process. The hummocky terrain in the Maunder Crater was probably formed by deposition of landslide debris.

Q; Why this Crater is called ‘Maunder’?

Dr. Raj Baldev (Cosmo Theorist):  This crater is named after the British Astronomer Edward W. Maunder (1851-1928), and so its name was kept on the last name of the discoverer.

Q. Where exactly this crater is located on Mars?

Dr. Raj Baldev (Cosmo Theorist): This Crater is located halfway between Argyre Planitia and Hellas Planitia on the southern Highlands of Mars.

Q: Dr. Raj Baldev, please shed some light for serious students how it happened?

Dr. Raj Baldev (Cosmo Theorist): The images were taken in orbits 2412 and 2467 on 29 November and 14 December 2005 respectively, with a ground resolution of approximately 15 metres per pixel. The crater lies at 50° South and 2° East, approximately in the center of Noachis Terra. 

Dr. Raj Baldev (Cosmo Theorist) continued: Technically speaking, as per ESA Space Science, the colour scenes have been derived from the three HRSC-colour channels and the nadir channels. The perspective views have been calculated from the digital terrain model derived from the HRSC stereo channels.

Dr. Raj Baldev (Cosmo Theorist) concluded by ending with the explanation of its anaglyph image whih was calculated from the nadir channels and two stereo channels, stereoscopic glasses are required for viewing. The 3-D (anaglyph) picture has been put together from several individual 3-D images of different scenes, enhancing the view over larger areas.

ForImages: http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMOHJAMS7F_index_0.html