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Credit & Copyright: ESA,
DLR,
FU Berlin,
Mars Express;
Processing & CC BY 2.0 License:
Andrea Luck;
h/t:
Phil Plait
Explanation:
If you could fly over Mars, what might you see?
The
featured image shows exactly this in the form of a
Mars Express
vista captured over a particularly interesting region on
Mars in July.
The picture's most famous feature is
Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the
Solar System, visible on the upper right.
Another large Martian volcano is visible on the right horizon:
Pavonis Mons.
Several
circular impact craters
can be seen on the surface of the aptly named
red planet.
Impressively, this image was timed to capture the
dark and
doomed Martian moon
Phobos,
visible just left of center.
The
surface feature on the lower left, known as
Orcus Patera,
is unusual for its large size and oblong shape, and
mysterious because the processes that created it still remain unknown.
ESA's robotic
Mars Express spacecraft was launched in 2003 and, among many
notable science discoveries, bolstered evidence that Mars was once home to large
bodies of water.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Mars
Publications with words: Mars
See also: