Growing up, my best friend loved Star Trek. As a result, I have seen (and slept through parts) of every Star Trek movie and a great many reruns. Thus, I am a bit familiar with the fan obsession that accompanies this science fiction classic. So, I was amused to see in the news and across the Twittersphere the most recently released images from Nasa’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
This image was acquired by the HiRISE camera aboard the Orbiter on Dec. 30, 2013. According to Nasa, “In this image of a dune field in a large crater near Mawrth Vallis, some of the dunes appear to be in formation.” The unusual shapes, which Nasa likened to a formation of flying birds, were formed by a combination of whether and terrain. Individual dunes in dune fields are the result of topography, sand supply, and wind speed.
While Nasa may think these dunes resemble a migratory bird formation, they also look strikingly like the Star Fleet logo from the popular Star Trek series.
