                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2025 March 22

                          SuperCam Target on Ma'az
                Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/CNRS

   Explanation: What's the sound of one laser zapping? There's no need to
   consult a Zen master to find out, just listen to the first acoustic
   recording of laser shots on Mars. On Mars Rover Perseverance mission
   sol 12 (March 2, 2021) the SuperCam instrument atop the rover's mast
   zapped a rock dubbed Ma'az 30 times from a range of about 3.1 meters.
   Its microphone recorded the soft staccato popping sounds of the rapid
   series of SuperCam laser zaps. Shockwaves created in the thin Martian
   atmosphere as bits of rock are vaporized by the laser shots make the
   popping sounds, sounds that offer clues to the physical structure of
   the target. This SuperCam close-up of the Ma'az target region is 6
   centimeters (2.3 inches) across. Ma'az means Mars in the Navajo
   language.

                                   IFRAME:
   https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/track
          s/1004116528%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-Da5U96EOyre&color=%23ff55

                    Tomorrow's picture: once upon a beach
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

