Thursday, August 9, 2012

Headings and Ranges from Google Mars

 
  One can use Google Mars to find directions and distances for objects in the first MSL panarama to help with their identification. The annotated version has degree markings on it from which one can determine the approximate bearing to an object.
  If one knows the coordinates for an object one can compute the bearings like I did in the second method for finding a position. The formula that I used in Mathcad was a little complicated and distracting at the time so this is how it was done. The formula uses relative directions to compute the angle determined by three points.
 
 
  One can check the bearing and distance of a known position in Google Mars by using the placemark tools to mark positions and then the ruler to determine the relative bearing and distance. This is helpful when trying to identify peaks of other features in a panorama.
 
 
  Supplemental (9 Aug): The formula for finding the azimuth can be simplified by using just the differences instead of the unit vectors. Originally I was thinking in terms of the projections of one unit vector on the other and its normal.
 

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