Space fans delight in using UAE data set to create own depictions of Red Planet

Enthusiasts are processing the information from the Hope probe to process their own pictures of Mars

The high-resolution camera, called the eXploration imager instrument, aboard the Hope probe is allowing space enthusiasts to create stunning images of the planet. They are processing the raw monochromatic images to highlight Mars' geographical features. This image was enhanced by Andrea Luck and shows a cloudy day on the planet. The North Pole, Olympus Mons (largest planet in the solar system) and Tharsis Montes (a region home to three large shield volcanoes) is also visible. Photo: Hope Mars Mission / Andrea Luck

This photo shows another cloudy day on Mars. Photo: Hope Mars Mission / Andrea Luck

A stunning global view of Mars that shows the North Pole, captured on May 24, 2021. Hope Mars Mission / Jason Major

Olympus Mons and the Tharsis Montes region is visible in this photo, captured sometime between May and August, 2021. Photo: Hope Mars Mission / Stuart Atkinson

A global view of Mars. This image was captured sometime between May and August, 2021. Hope Mars Mission / Stuart Atkinson

An image of Mars taken by the UAE's Hope probe and edited by Twitter user @SzabBen004. Enthusiasts have been processing their own images of the red planet using high-resolution output from the Emirates Exploration Imager system. Photo: @SzabBen004

'With a length of almost 4,000 kilometres, width of 200km at some points and depth of 7km, Valles Marineris is one of the largest and most impressive canyons of the Solar System.' Photo: @SzabBen004

'Here is a photograph of Mars I got by using raw image from the Hope Mars Mission, processing it into Photoshop and colourising it using AI. Amazed by the result! At this time, Hope probe was at 23,638km altitude from Mars.' Photo: @Vince_Ch

'What a view of mountains on Mars! Captured by the UAE's @HopeMarsMission. Olympus Mons: largest and tallest mountain in the Solar System. Tharsis Montes: three large shield volcanoes in the Tharsis region.' Photo: @cosmicatri

'The UAE @HopeMarsMission released lots of raw data today. Here's an image of Mars I made processing some of that info.' Photo: @mars_stu

'What a spectacular view of Mars captured by the UAE's @HopeMarsMission! Created this image from the data released today and HAD to share!' Photo: @cosmicatri

'I took the orange haze from the black background.' Photo: @MurdockPhotosWx

'Some great shots in the @HopeMarsMission data drop - I put a few RGB composites together.' Photo: @doug_ellison

'Gorgeous new crescent view of Mars - a perspective you can never get from Earth. Taken by @HopeMarsMission.' Photo: @SpaceGeck

'Mars from the Emirates Mars Mission at 24th February 2021. Emirates Mars Mission (EMM)/EXI/Daniel Machacek.' Photo: @DanielMachacek_

'My first colour image of Mars made from the raw data released yesterday by the UAE Hope mission. Others have done/will do a lot better but I'm pleased with it :-) Hope Mars Mission/S Atkinson.' Photo: @mars_stu

'Oh Mars, now you've got to be kidding me! This is my catch of the Red Planet and its Olympus Mons (the highest mountain and Volcano in the Solar System btw) as seen by @HopeMarsMission.' Photo: @andrluck

'Emirates #Mars Mission مسبار الأمل 2021-04-22 Spacecraft altitude 38.480 km Exi f635 + f546 + f437 filters L2 data.' Photo: @landru79

'The UAE @HopeMarsMission released lots of raw data today. Here's an image of Mars I made processing some of that info. Hope Mars Mission/S Atkinson.' Photo: @mars_stu

“The science data from @HopeMarsMission has just been released! I started playing with the photos taken on February 10. By playing on the gamma, we bring out cloud structures near the terminator. Noctilucent clouds?" Photo: @thomas_appere

'The UAE @HopeMarsMission released lots of raw data today. Here's an image of Mars I made processing some of that info. Hope Mars Mission/S Atkinson.' Photo: @mars_stu

'Emirates Mars Mission مسبار الأمل 2021-03-16 Spacecraft altitude 1098.68 km Exi f635 + f546 + f437 filters L2 data.' Photo: @landru79

Space enthusiasts around the world are taking to Twitter to post their own depictions of Mars, drawing from data shared by the UAE.

The Emirates Mars Mission released its first full science data set, including data from its three instruments, on October 1. About 500 images from the Emirates Exploration Imager (EXI) system are included in the data set and thousands more are expected with the next release in January 2022.

The observations were made by the Hope probe as it orbited the Red Planet between February 9 and May 22 this year.

One thing that was not predicted by the scientists at the UAE mission was the reaction from the public upon receiving the information.

After downloading the image data from the EXI system, enthusiasts have been processing their own images of Mars using the high-resolution output from the instrument.

“We have been very pleased to see the Mars images captured by Hope probe being shared over Twitter by the local and international community,” said Hessa Al Matroushi, science lead at the Emirates Mars Mission.

“The diverse range of treatments of the EXI images has opened up new views and perspectives.”

The EXI camera is capable of taking highly detailed images and is being used to measure water, ice and ozone in the atmosphere of Mars.

The system was developed at the University of Colorado Boulder, in collaboration with Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre.

In the first 10 days of the data release, about two terabytes of information had been downloaded from the Science Data Centre, of which 1.5tb is EXI data.

“EXI has already surpassed our expectations and its first observations have been taking place throughout the Martian cloudy season,” said Ms Al Matroushi .

“We know that, during this time – spring and summer in the Martian northern hemisphere – a belt of clouds forms near the equator.

“We’re now able to see daily changes and are building a library that will allow us to measure seasonal changes in the dynamics of those cloud formations.”

Emirates Mars Mission is studying the relationship between the upper layer and lower regions of the Martian atmosphere, giving the international science community full access to a holistic view at different times of the day, through the seasons.

The Hope probe is following its planned 20,000 to 43,000-kilometre elliptical science orbit, with an inclination to Mars, giving it the unique ability to complete one orbit of the planet every 55 hours.

It can capture a full planetary data samples every nine days throughout its one-Martian-year mission (two Earth years) to map Mars’ atmospheric dynamics.