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How to Make a Martian Fly-Over Animation With QGIS

Example result over Echus Chasma

Our planet Earth is a wondrous place to be mapped about, but with the advance of technology and the launch of different spacecrafts, there is an interesting venture and a new research field for mapping enthusiasts, another planet.

Mars, as the most similar to our Earth and also a destination of a lot of planetary mission (some of them are scheduled to be launched/ had just launched this year) has been mapped a lot more compared to other planetary bodies. These vast data are fortunately available open-source to us and can be utilised for both scientific purposes and for fun.

I will guide to you make a simple Martian fly-over animation using a mapping software QGIS, instead of using animation software like Blender.

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3-D Print Your Planet (and Space-Related Objects)

Jun 3

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[Updated 5 June 2019]

Writing this as it’s still fresh in mind (looking at a lot of drafts sitting in my notebook) as well as for the next print if any. I can and will update this, but for now, it’s publishable in my standard.

I have just obtained an opportunity to do outreach. It’s a very interesting event, and as I previously have obtained a 3-D print of Gale Crater, I was very interested to create a print of my area of research (still Mars, but more to the south)

 

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The print in question. As blurry as it can get  Anyone can guess what this is?

 

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Posted in Learning, Making, Spacing, Teaching

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How to: GDAL with Martian Data

Mar 10

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I’ve seen a lot of tutorial on working with GDAL with Earth data, but not a lot for planetary data, Mars included. As I use GDAL a lot (and in need of reminder myself), why not write a how-to with Martian data.
MOLA, but in different projections (https://core2.gsfc.nasa.gov/PGDA/images/MarsTopography_GMM3.jpeg, https://astrogeology.usgs.gov/search/map/Mars/GlobalSurveyor/MOLA/Mars_MGS_MOLA_ClrShade_merge_global_463m)

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Posted in Learning, Plugging, Spacing

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Specks of Indonesia in the Solar System

Apr 22

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(This is a part of Martian Series (Planet series?) I’m queueing in this moment)

Looking through this map which I have previously mentioned in this article, a crater’s name lit up my interest. Tomini Crater? Is that the same Tomini with the Tomini I know? After shifting through Martian Crater name list, I found 4 of craters with Indonesia-related names. Apparently this has been caught interest of other Indonesian article writers as proven by these articles. Are there other features in out solar system with names based on Indonesian culture and mythology? Apparently they are. Shifting through IAU Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, there are few familiar an unfamiliar names with “Indonesian” in their description.

Pratiwi Sudarmono.jpg

Unrelated but let me put this picture of Pratiwi Sudarmono (Whoa there’s a Hanacaraka writing of her name in her Wikipedia entry)

 

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Posted in Culturing, Learning, Spacing

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Martian Maps, Maps, Maps

Apr 18

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(This is a part of Martian Series I’m queueing in this moment)

So, compared to Earth, which is mapped often already, and the Moon, which has been fully mapped using NASA”s Lunar Reconnaisance Orbiter, Mars hasn’t been mapped as often. The highest resolution global topographic map of Mars until now is produced using MOLA data (Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter), which, although pretty precise in altitude, only has the resolution of about 463 m/ pixel. But! Based on MOLA data alone, there are a lot of interesting Mars maps in different style being produced. Basically this post was born because of me stumbled upon this vintage-style Mars map created by Eleanor Lutz a.k.a. Tabletop Whale. I knew that there are a lot of interesting (data-wise and style-wise) maps on Mars, so I will share a few I can think of.

(Update: She has also created a set of planetary and astronomy related map including a new Mars one)

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Here There Be Robots: A New Map of The Planet Mars

Posted in Learning, Spacing

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