We’re back! Where In The Universe took a little vacation, and thanks to everyone who wrote in to say they missed their weekly WITU.
You remember what to do, right? Take a look at this image and see if you can determine where in the universe this image is from; give yourself extra points if you can name the spacecraft/telescope responsible for the image. We’ll provide the image today, but won’t reveal the answer until later. This gives you a chance to mull over the image and provide your answer/guess in the comment section. Please, no links or extensive explanations of what you think this is — give everyone the chance to guess.
Remember, we’ll take suggestions for future WITU’s — just send Nancy an email
UPDATE: The answer is now posted below.
We didn’t fool too many people that this was perhaps a HiRISE image from Mars. It actually is Ar Rub al Khali Sand Sea, in the Arabian Peninsula and it was photographed by an Expedition 27 crew member on the International Space Station. The Ar Rub al Khali, also known as the “Empty Quarter”, is a large region of sand dunes and interdune flats known as a sand sea (or erg).
You can see a larger version of it on the Marshall Space Flight Center Flickr page.
Mars sand dunes, MRO.
Rub ‘al Khali desert by ISS
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28634332@N05/5818659030/
In looking at pictures of Rub ‘al Khali dunes from space that appears likely. So I second Anna’s conclusion.
LC
It almost seems like water between the “dunes”. I throw in that this could be a picture of the tideland while the moon has its grasps on the seas.
My face before I wash it.
Sand dunes on Mars by MRO.
Rub’ al Khali sand dunes by Tera
The stucco wall next to my patio.
The inside of my oven. How did you get into my house?!?
Earth desert? The Space Shuttle?
Nancy, Are we ever going to receive an answer, or is this feature in the process of being discontinued? I’ve always enjoyed these.