Browse Archive

  • Mars' moon Phobos

    Phobos from 5,800 Kilometers

    One of two images that NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter took of the Martian moon Phobos on March 23, 2008, this view was captured from about 3,600 miles away from the moon.

  • Mars' moon Phobos in color

    Phobos from 6,800 Kilometers (Color)

    The largest feature on the Martian moon Phobos is the crater named Stickney, with is about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) in diameter, in the lower right of this image taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

  • Phobos from 5,800 Kilometers (Color)

    Phobos from 5,800 Kilometers (Color)

    Combining exposures taken in blue-green, red and near-infrared light yields this color image of the Martian moon Phobos, in which the bluer material around the edge of the largest crater may be some of the most freshly exposed surface of the small moon.

  • Mars' moon Phobos

    'Marsshine' on Shadowed Part of Phobos

    In this image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, craters on part of the surface of the Martian moon Phobos that is shaded from direct sunlight are visible because the moon also is illuminated by sunlight reflected off Mars, or "Marsshine."

  • observation of mars indicating the presence of chloride salt deposits

    Bright Exposures of Chloride Salt on Southern Mars

    This image provides higher-resolution views of a site where another observation indicates the presence of chloride salt deposits.

  • Earth and the moon

    Earth and Moon as Seen from Mars

    The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera would make a great backyard telescope for viewing Mars, and we can also use it at Mars to view other planets.

  • Avalanches in the north polar region on Mars

    Caught in Action: Avalanches on North Polar Scarps

    Amazingly, this image has captured at least four Martian avalanches, or debris falls, in action.

  • Dust-Devil Tracks in Southern Schiaparelli Basin

    Dust-Devil Tracks in Southern Schiaparelli Basin

    Dust-devils are vortices of wind that form when air rising from a warm surface encounters shear in the above atmosphere.

  • One of several time series of images taken by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM)

    Carbon-Dioxide Frost Settling from Seasonal Outbursts on Mars (Movie)

    This movie, constructed by overlaying a time series of images taken by the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM), shows seasonal changes and unearthly processes that occur in Mars' south polar seasonal frost cap.

  • map indicates locations of three sites that have been examined within the area of cryptic terrain

    Location of Sites Within 'Cryptic Terrain'

    A regional landscape near Mars' south pole is called "cryptic terrain" because it once defied explanation, but new observations bolster and refine interpretations of how springtime outbursts of carbon-dioxide gas there sculpt intricate patterns and paint seasonal splotches.

  • Candor Chasma on Mars

    Global View of Candor Chasm Study Location

    Candor Chasma forms part of the large Martian canyon system named Valles Marineris.

  • southwestern portion of Mars's Candor Chasma and part of the large canyon system Valles Marineris

    Study Area within Southwest Candor Chasma

    This view, covering an area approximately 580 kilometers (360 miles) wide, shows the location of a study area within Mars' Candor Chasma within regional context.

  • perspective view of a scene within Mars' Candor Chasma

    'Hilltop' View of the Terrain in Candor Chasma

    This is a perspective view of a scene within Mars' Candor Chasma based on stereo imaging by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

  • perspective view of a scene within Mars' Candor Chasma

    'Low-flying' View of Terrain in Candor Chasma

    This is a perspective view of a scene within Mars' Candor Chasma based on stereo imaging by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

  • perspective view of a scene within Mars' Candor Chasma

    'Stair-Stepped' Terrain in Candor Chasma

    This is a eastward-looking perspective view of a scene within Mars' Candor Chasma based on stereo imaging by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

  • Bright Streaks and Dark Fans

    Bright Streaks and Dark Fans

    The south polar region of Mars is covered every year by a layer of carbon dioxide ice.

  • Cryptic Terrain on Mars

    Cryptic Terrain on Mars

    There is an enigmatic region near the south pole of Mars known as the "cryptic" terrain.

  • Dry Ice Etches Terrain

    Dry Ice Etches Terrain

    Every year seasonal carbon dioxide ice, known to us as "dry ice," covers the poles of Mars.

  • Starburst Channels

    Starburst Channels

    Translucent carbon dioxide ice covers the polar regions of Mars seasonally.

  • Lizard-Skin Surface Texture

    Lizard-Skin Surface Texture

    The south polar region of Mars is covered seasonally with translucent carbon dioxide ice.