Tag Archives: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

MARCI weather report, November 19-25, 2018

Posted on November 28, 2018 by rburnham

Sporadic dust-lifting events continued over both hemispheres of the red planet last week. A few short-lived dust storms were observed along the north polar hood near eastern Acidalia, Alba Mons, and the Phlegra Montes. Amazonis Planitia also encountered a small … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Spring frost on a cold world

Posted on November 28, 2018 by rburnham

Winter on Mars comes with a blanket of carbon dioxide snow. During the spring “thaw,” this snow evaporates into the atmosphere, lingering longest in the shallow depressions such as the troughs of polygon patterned ground. Enhanced color shows the carbon … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Looking at martian salts and clays

Posted on November 27, 2018 by rburnham

This 3D perspective view is a composite of both HiRISE and data from CRISM, another instrument onboard MRO. This view covers a small patch of ancient Martian real estate in Terra Sirenum. CRISM collects spectral data that can be used … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Branched ridges in NE Arabia Terra

Posted on November 26, 2018 by rburnham

Branched ridges in northeast Arabia Terra. Could these features be inverted stream channels and a depositional (alluvial) fan? Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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HiRISE: Dust devil in action

Posted on November 23, 2018 by rburnham

Dust devil tracks in the Diacria region. Our eye might deceive us, but that bright spot in the enhanced color image looks suspiciously like a dust devil in action. Hmmm…. Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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HiRISE: Pitted cones in Chryse Planitia

Posted on November 23, 2018 by rburnham

Pitted cones in Chryse Planitia. Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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MARCI weather report, November 12-18, 2018

Posted on November 21, 2018 by rburnham

For the past week on Mars, dust storm activity was largely inactive — apart from some areas in the northern hemisphere. The low-lying plains of Acidalia, Amazonis, and Chryse each had a couple of transient local-scale dust storms over the … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Mysterious features on crater floor

Posted on November 21, 2018 by rburnham

Mysterious! These interesting-looking features are on the floor of crater near Amazonis Mensa. They might be wind-driven erosional features. Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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HiRISE: Impact crater near Tempe Terra

Posted on November 20, 2018 by rburnham

An impact crater near Tempe Terra. Despite this crater likely being extremely old and filled-in with material, we can still see its ejecta blanket. Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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HiRISE: Channels in Syria Planum

Posted on November 19, 2018 by rburnham

Channels in Syria Planum. The objective of this observation is to determine the nature of a curved channel with levees. Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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