Solis Lacus
Solis Lacus /ˈsɒlɪs ˈleɪkəs/ (26°S 85°W) is a dark feature on Mars. It was once called "Oculus" and is still commonly called "The Eye of Mars" because with the surrounding light area called Thaumasia it resembles the pupil of one. Solis Lacus is known for the variability of its appearance, changing its size and shape when dust storms occur.
Solis Lacus feature on Mars. Screenshot from Celestia
Percival Lowell believed that it was the planetary capital of Mars due to the number of canals he claimed intersected at the region. In The Lost Worlds of 2001, Arthur C. Clarke had it as the landing site of the first robotic probe to Mars. In Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land, the manned exploratory vessel Envoy lands just south of Solis Lacus.
References
- Beish, Jeffrey D. "Chapter 4 -- SURFACE FEATURES OF MARS". Observing the Planet Mars. Retrieved 2006-10-22.
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