Arcadia Planitia as seen by ESA’s Mars Express
This image from ESA’s Mars Express shows Arcadia Planitia.
This region of Mars is an exciting one; it lies just northwest of the colossal Tharsis volcanic province, home to the tallest volcanoes in the entire Solar System, and is thought to host water ice, making it a possible landing site for future missions to the Red Planet. Among other fascinating features, this image captures wind-sculpted ridges and layered lobe-like flows surrounding a large impact crater – and lurking within the frame are not one but four dust devils, each snaking their way across the surface.
We've added labels to highlight features and regions of note. Be sure to zoom in and click on these labels to explore the landscape in detail!
This image comprises data gathered by Mars Express’s High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on 10 November 2024 (orbit 26333). It was created using data from the nadir channel, the field of view aligned perpendicular to the surface of Mars, and the colour channels of the HRSC. The contrast of each colour channel has been stretched to highlight variations. North is to the right. The ground resolution is approximately 18 m/pixel and the image is centred at about 41°N/211°E.
[Image description: A high-resolution, colour-enhanced satellite view of a Martian landscape. It features a dramatic boundary between two different surface regions. The upper left portion of the image is smoother and reddish, while the lower right displays rougher terrain with more craters and a prominent circular impact crater. There is a clear transition zone with jagged features and colour changes from red to grey to orange. A scale bar in the lower right corner indicates '20 km', providing context for the size of the features shown. The image is credited to ESA/DLR/FU Berlin in the lower left corner.]
