Tag Archives: High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment

HiRISE: The slow charm of brain terrain

Posted on March 4, 2019 by rburnham

You are staring at one of the unsolved mysteries on Mars. This surface texture of interconnected ridges and troughs, referred to as “brain terrain” is found throughout the mid-latitude regions of Mars. (This image is in Protonilus Mensae.) This bizarrely … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Living on the edge

Posted on March 1, 2019 by rburnham

Living on the edge. The rim of this crater looks fairly sharp, meaning it hasn’t degraded too much even though it is likely very old. The exposed, light-toned bedrock is a bonus. HiRISE Picture of the Day archive [More at … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: At the summit of Jovis Tholus

Posted on February 28, 2019 by rburnham

At the summit of Jovis Tholus. Jovis Tholus is a volcano in the Tharsis region and is about 58 kilometers in diameter. Our image only shows a portion of the summit. HiRISE Picture of the Day archive [More at links]

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HiRISE: Blink and you’ll miss them

Posted on February 27, 2019 by rburnham

Blink and you’ll miss them. The dust devil tracks in this image have faded considerably since an earlier image, something we wanted to measure. If you look to the lower left and center, you can still see some of them. … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Diverse lithologies of the Fourth Planet

Posted on February 26, 2019 by rburnham

Diverse lithologies of the Fourth Planet. This nice image is located in Syrtis Major, right next to Isidis Planitia and south of the Nili Fossae formations. On Mars. HiRISE Picture of the Day archive [More at links]

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HiRISE: Rupes Tenuis

Posted on February 25, 2019 by rburnham

Rupes Tenuis. While it may sound like a medical condition, Rupes Tenuis is actually a scarp in the north polar region. We took this image to track any changes from a 2012 observation. (The name is Latin for “thin cliff”.) … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Sinuous ridge in Peraea Cavus

Posted on February 22, 2019 by rburnham

A sinuous ridge in Peraea Cavus. In addition to the ridge, there’s also bright deposits here. A cavus is an irregular steep-sided depression usually in arrays or clusters. HiRISE Picture of the Day archive [More at links]

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HiRISE: Following the tracks

Posted on February 21, 2019 by rburnham

Dust devils on Mars often create long, dark markings where they pull a thin coat of dust off the surface. This image shows a cluster of these tracks on the flat ground below the south polar layered deposits, but none … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Jumbled blocks on the floor of Melas Chasma

Posted on February 20, 2019 by rburnham

This part of Melas Chasma has been the target for many previous HiRISE images due to its diversity of terrains and materials. This observation covers an area not previously imaged, revealing a chaotic jumble of bright layered sediments, perhaps resulting … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Almost like water

Posted on February 19, 2019 by rburnham

This image in Athabasca Valles shows lava flows originating from Elysium Mons to the northwest. A Context Camera image shows the lava flowed from the northwest to the southeast, diverting around obstacles as it settled. (The flow is outlined in … Continue reading →

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