Geometric albedo For Earth-bound observers this occurs when the body in question is at opposition and on the ecliptic. The visual geometric albedo refers to the geometric albedo quantity when accounting for only electromagnetic radiation in the visible spectrum. The surface materials (regoliths) of airless bodies (in fact, the majority of bodies in the Solar System) are strongly non-Lambertian and exhibit the opposition effect, which is a strong tendency to reflect light straight back to its source, rather than scattering light diffusely. The geometric albedo of these bodies can be difficult to determine because of this, as their reflectance is strongly peaked
Martian surface to 1.0 for a body that reflects all sunlight. Different parts of a planet’s surface (and atmosphere) have different albedo values depending on the chemical and physical nature of the surface. No topography is visible on Mars from Earth-based telescopes. The bright areas and dark markings on pre-spaceflight-era maps of Mars are all albedo features. (See Classical albedo features on Mars.) They have little relation to topography. Dark markings are most distinct in a broad belt from 0° to 40° S latitude. However, the most prominent dark marking, Syrtis Major Planum, is in the northern hemisphere, outside this belt. The