I am having difficulty downloading your TIFF link (it seems Jpeg does have some advantages after all)
A suggestion. Just clicking on the link attempts to open it within your browser, which may bog down your browser with such a large file.
Instead of doing this, use whatever the procedure is for your computer and browser to save the file directly to your hard disk, such as "Save Target As ..." or "Save Link As ..." or similar.
I agree, we should try and find the best possible image to examine.
The only link Google finds when I do a search (including quotes) on "AS17-140-21438" "tif" as you suggest is here and, like Xenon, I cannot open the link to the tif file. However, when I used a proxy, I got there and downloaded the image.
I guess what we really need is something similar to the IIP Moo Viewer for the Apollo images taken from the command module, similar to this image(which is NOT the one we want in this case) but has links to the other formats available when you click on Toggle Image Details in the top right of the viewer
I am having difficulty downloading your TIFF link (it seems Jpeg does have some advantages after all)
If your computer or internet connection gets bogged down with large files, this will be a persistent problem when pursuing investigations in this field since image files at high resolution that are uncompressed are usually quite large. This one is 45MB. That's the price of acceptabie image quality.
Of course JPG image files have some advantages, one being quick download and display on web sites. I didn't suggest that they should never be used, just that they should not be used for accurate scientific investigation, especially when it's clear that the compression artifacts are affecting the validity of the image.
I have checked the image myself (from your link), as well as the image being a poor quality copy, it is also a mosaic, and I have to agree with O'Brien, it is possible that artefacts showing up in the image are a result of processing.
O'Brien
I am having difficulty downloading your TIFF link (it seems Jpeg does have some advantages after all)
__________________
"Creating a fiction when stating a fact destroys the credibility of the truth one are trying to convey"
The previous two posts very nicely illustrate the advantages of using the best available image, and the pitfalls of attempting image analysis with a known lossy image format.
How did I find the TIF image?
1) Look at "anomalous" image. Notice image compression artifacts and rounded blurriness typical in JPG compression. 2) Know that Apollo images are scanned from film. Suspect that other scans are available in better image formats, such as TIF. 3) Look at Image ID given, "NASA Photo ID: AS17-140-21438" 4) Google "AS17-140-21438" and "tif" 5) Click on first result.
I have noted previously, and will repeat again, that using JPGs for detailed image analysis introduces known compression artifacts. Errors in interpretation are compounded by zooming in on tiny portions of a known blurry image. Using the best available image is a practice that all should strive to achieve.
The feature to upload images to the site seems to be experiencing some problems at the moment, so I am unable to use the much better image available of this Apollo 17 boulder and create a cropped and zoomed image of the areas shown. When the feaure returns, I can provide a zoomed and cropped image if necessary.
Examining the much better image at full resolution shows that that the "hand holding camera" is a rock with no anomalous or strange features. The other two areas show no evidence of artificiality. Notice that the much better image allows viewing of details in the shadows, while in the JPG image the shadow under the boulder is totally black.
Also, the images as displayed here in this thread have been compressed in the horizontal direction by almost 50%. (This is likely an issue with the way the images were uploaded, because the images all appear to be uncharacteristically in square format, and the text in one image appears horizontally compressed as well.) The compression influences the interpretation of anthropomorphic figures.
Info:
View of Station 6,Boulder Closeup, Sample 6315 taken during the third Extravehicular Activity EVA 3 of the Apollo 17 mission. Original film magazine was labeled E film type was SO-368 Color Exterior, CEX, Ektachrome MS, color reversal 60mm lens with a sun elevation of 36 degrees.
The Mask As you know, we've seen strange things on the moon. This image is no exception.
Cut 2
Cut 3
NASA Photo ID: AS17-140-21438 File Name: 10076015.jpg Film Type: 70mm Date Taken: 12/13/72 Title: View of boulder found at Station 6 by Apollo 16 astronauts Description: This 70mm frame features a large multi-cracked boulder discovered by Astronauts Eugene A. Cernan and Harrison H. (Jack) Schmitt during their visit to Extravehicular Activity Station 6 (Henry Crater). This boulder, referred to as number two, provided several samples for the crewmember's record-setting volume of rock collections.