PROJECTS: Map the Solar System
TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS OF THE
MOON AND PLANETS
This shows how to make topo maps of planets
and moons using open-source data from the
USGS, IAU, and NASA. I wanted to map each of
the rocky planets in the same style: Mercury,
Mars, Venus, and the Moon. To begin, I used
GDAL to convert the DEM files to orthographic
projection, then downsampled these and created
hillshade and slope maps for each hemisphere.
Next, I made five Python plots with the contour
fills, contour lines, text labels, and two types of
gridlines (Figure
A
). Finally, I used matplotlib
gridspec so that each of my subplots occupy the
exact pixel locations inside my decorative border.
I also designed a cutaway diagram showing
the interior layers of each planet. These were
tricky because some layers were so thin that they
were virtually invisible. To show even the thinnest
layers, I designed an adjusted diagram where
every layer has a minimum visible thickness.
This project was heavier on the illustration side
than my asteroid map. I had a lot of fun designing
the scrollwork, and I also designed Photoshop
overlays to add a 3D effect to the globes and the
cutout core diagrams.
GEOLOGIC MAPS OF THE
MOON AND MARS
For this I used open-source data from the USGS,
IAU, and NASA, but I added more topographic
and label data, redesigned the visual style. The
Mars map (Figure
B
) is an artistic rendition of
the USGS map (pubs.usgs.gov/sim/3292). I also
edited the key for a more general audience. For
example, my abbreviated definition for a caldera
rim is, The rim of an empty magma chamber left
behind after a volcanic eruption. The original
description was, Ovoid scarp, outlines single
or multiple coalesced partial to fully enclosed
depression(s); volcanic collapse, related to effusive
and possibly explosive eruptions. Right!
I wanted to accurately show how much of the
planet was made up of each geologic formation, so
I decided to use an Eckert IV equal-area projection.
This type of map distorts object outlines, but it
preserves the relative area of shapes across the
globe. Eckert IV is not great for visualizing the
polar regions, so I added four inset maps to the
corners to show each hemisphere of Mars.
The Moon map (Figure
C
) was much more
difficult. The geologic data was split into six
different datasets, each with unique labels and
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