Tag Archives: HRSC

HRSC: Phlegra Montes, southern tip

Posted on February 19, 2015 by rburnham

Colour image of the southernmost portion of Phlegra Montes on Mars, a complex system of isolated hills, ridges and small basins that spans over 1400 km from the Elysium volcanic region at about 30ºN and deep into the northern lowlands … Continue reading →

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HRSC: Cappuccino swirls at Mars’ south pole

Posted on February 9, 2015 by rburnham

Swirls of chocolate, caramel and cream – this image is definitely one to trigger sweet-toothed cravings. Smooth cream-coloured plateaus surrounded by cocoa-dusted ridges interspersed with caramel-hued streaks create a scene reminiscent of a cosmic cappuccino. This picture is, perhaps surprisingly, … Continue reading →

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HRSC: Mysteries in Nili Fossae

Posted on January 22, 2015 by rburnham

The Nili Fossae graben system is an area of great geological interest near the giant Isidis impact basin, northeast of the Syrtis Major volcanic province. The graben system contains numerous troughs, part of one can be seen at the lower … Continue reading →

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HRSC: Chasms and cliffs on Mars

Posted on January 5, 2015 by rburnham

Although Mars is a very alien planet, some aspects of its geology are surprisingly familiar. This Mars Express image shows a snippet of a region of Mars filled with cliffs, trenches, faults, giant plateaus and volcanoes. The flowing cracks and … Continue reading →

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HRSC: Flight over Becquerel Crater

Posted on December 18, 2014 by rburnham

This latest release from the [High Resolution Stereo] camera on ESA’s Mars Express is a simulated flight over the Becquerel crater, showing large-scale deposits of sedimentary material. The 167 km-diameter Becquerel crater is located in the Arabia Terra region, straddling … Continue reading →

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HRSC: Frost-covered chaos in Hellas

Posted on December 1, 2014 by rburnham

Hellas Chaos, in the southern central part of the giant Hellas basin, stretches roughly 200 km north–south and for about 500 km in an east–west direction. It shows a variety of landforms, from large impact craters containing wind-blown dunes or … Continue reading →

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HRSC: Comet Siding Spring

Posted on November 4, 2014 by rburnham

Comet Siding Spring came extraordinarily close to Mars as it whizzed by on 19 October 2014. The celestial body – a mere 500 metres in diameter – passed the Red Planet at a distance of just 137 000 kilometres, where it … Continue reading →

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HRSC: Chaos in Atlantis basin

Posted on October 27, 2014 by rburnham

Mars is peppered with craters. Scientists have deduced that the red planet is struck by around 200 meteoroids every year that dig out new craters. While some small craters are fresh, Mars has a great many that are much larger … Continue reading →

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HRSC: Flight over chaotic terrain

Posted on October 20, 2014 by rburnham

Among the most interesting landforms on Mars are features referred to as ‘chaotic terrain’. Dozens or even hundreds of isolated mountains up to 2,000 m high are scattered in these extensive regions. Seen from orbit, they form a bizarre, chaotic … Continue reading →

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HRSC: Hooke Crater in Argyre basin

Posted on September 19, 2014 by rburnham

Hooke Crater is located near the northern edge of the 1800 km-wide Argyre basin, one of the most impressive impact structures on Mars, excavated in a giant collision about 4 billion years ago. Sitting in a flat part of the … Continue reading →

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