The sand on Mars is from basalt, which is a darkish gray color. The red comes from much smaller dust particles which settle everywhere.
But what are those weird tendril thingies?
In the Martian winter, carbon dioxide freezes out of the air. In the summer, that CO2 sublimates; that is, turns directly from a solid to a gas. When that happens the sand gets disturbed, and falls down the slopes in little channels, which spreads out when it hits the bottom. But this disturbs the red dust, too, which flows with the sand. When it's all done, you get those feathery tendrils.
outer space is freaky cool.
Soooo how do the tendrils get there? The explanation is the most confusing part.
They look like eyelashes. Mars is just a huge Salvador Dali painting.
Of course they are eyelashes! Can't you see the eyes?
Oh my god they're looking right at me
Yes, Mars is a giant sand shoggoth.
In fact my first reaction on seeing this photograph, prior to reading the text, was to shudder at what appeared to be a close-up of a sleeping Gibbering Mouther, and assumed that jwz was doing his part to keep us up to date on the latest squishy horror discovered by deep-sea mapping robots or whatnot.
That being said, yes, after reading the text I felt the appropriate levels of hot damn that's cool.
I think the Epic Level Handbook actually has stats for a planet-sized Gibbering Mouther.
They're obviously groves of trees. Trees populated by 10 foot tall blue people.
Reminds me of the Amity Island sand in Jaws. Don't think? Naw...they killed it.
Spectacular. Literally.
Awesome that the planet of men is covered in vulvas.
I'm glad I'm not the only one with that reaction. I thought maybe I was seeing things because I haven't gotten laid in a while.
That's what I saw too. heh
Looks like so much strawberry ice cream to me.