![](\"http:\/\/www.esa.int\/var\/esa\/storage\/images\/esa_multimedia\/videos\/2016\/05\/looking_at_the_limb\/15982126-1-eng-GB\/Looking_at_the_limb_small.jpg\")
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\nIn this remarkable movie, the Visual Monitoring Camera (VMC) on Mars Express was used for the first time to image the limb of Mars during most of a complete orbit, showing in good detail the atmosphere seen \u2018on edge\u2019 at the apparent border between the planet\u2019s surface and space.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe movie was stitched together from a series of 403 still images acquired by the camera during 13:45\u201319:09 GMT on 29 April 2016, during orbit 15624.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe spacecraft was commanded to turn as it orbited Mars, which kept the camera pointing at the brightest point on the horizon as Mars Express passed over the southern hemisphere.\n<\/p>\n
\nAn animation showing the planned trajectory over Mars can be seen here: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WK3MTG_L3pk<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \nThis image shows the ground track of Mars Express over the surface: http:\/\/www.esa.int\/spaceinimages\/Images\/2016\/04\/Mars_Express_ground_track<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \nIt is interesting to note that the movie clearly shows gravity-orographic atmospheric waves<\/a> that can be seen in the martian clouds just after the point of closest passage above the surface (seen around seven to nine seconds into the video).\n<\/p>\n \nThis movie is the first example of the type of imaging that can be done using VMC as a scientific instrument in support of, for example, cloud tracking and dust storm monitoring, which are significant topics in the planetary science community.\n<\/p>\n \nThanks to Alejandro Cardesin at the Mars Express Science Operations Centre, ESAC, Spain, and Simon Wood, Spacecraft Operations Engineer at ESOC, Germany.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \nIn this remarkable movie, the Visual Monitoring Camera (VMC) on Mars Express was used for the first time to image the limb of Mars during most of a complete orbit, showing in good detail the atmosphere seen ‘on edge’ at the apparent border between the planet’s surface and space.\n<\/p>\n \nThe movie was stitched together from a series of 403 still images acquired by the camera during 13:45–19:09 GMT on 29 April 2016, during orbit 15624.\n<\/p>\n \nThe spacecraft was commanded to turn as it orbited Mars, which kept the camera pointing at the brightest point on the horizon as Mars Express passed over the southern hemisphere.\n<\/p>\n \nAn animation showing the planned trajectory over Mars can be seen here: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WK3MTG_L3pk<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \nThis image shows the ground track of Mars Express over the surface: http:\/\/www.esa.int\/spaceinimages\/Images\/2016\/04\/Mars_Express_ground_track<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n