Scientists now have a Martian weather satellite to observe the weather on Mars in the same way as they monitor Earths weather. Its first weather report has been given by a team including Oxford University scientists. NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter went into orbit around the Red Planet two years ago but the first results from its observations are published in Nature Geoscience this week. And they reveal a surprise: during the freezing Martian winter the atmosphere above the planets South Pole is considerably warmer than predicted.
Double Impact Crater (PSP_009619_1630) How is it possible to say that the double crater is due to a binary asteroid, instead of two independent impacts?
Valleys Near Ganges Chasma (PSP_009578_1715) Several valleys as well as light-toned material are visible in this HiRISE image of a portion of Allegheny Vallis along the plains west of Ganges Chasma.
Tube-Fed Lava Flow Field (PSP_009501_1755) Shield volcanoes are often covered by a combination of open lava channels and partly enclosed lava tubes, through which lava once flowed when the volcano was active.
Outcrops in Aurorae Chaos (PSP_009498_1730) These outcrops could indicate deposition of sediments on the floor of the chaos after it formed, but the process itself is not certain.
NASA`s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has returned dozens of stunning images of the planet`s surface covered in ice. Seasonal frosts, sand, clays and high winds help create an eyecatching landscape. The images are among thousands taken, but they cover less than four-fifths of one per cent of the area of the planet.
Images taken by a space probe 200 miles above the surface of Mars have revealed a polar landscape dominated by icy dunes. The dunes were carved by winds but it remains unclear how long the process took and to what extent it is still taking place. The images were taken by Nasas High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment and are the most revealing yet of part of the north polar landscape. The white in the pictures shows ice that recedes in the northern hemispheres summer.