Hellas Planitia

ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter image of a region close to the giant Hellas basin in the southern hemisphere of Mars. The 2300 km diameter basin hosted a giant lake in the past, fed by a number of valleys. The crater in this image, located towards the northeast of Hellas, shows the presence of several gullies that point to the region’s wetter past.

The image was taken by the orbiter’s Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System, CaSSIS on 29 May 2018 and captures an approximately 40.2 x 8.7 km segment centred on 33.5ºS/82.8ºE. North is to the right and slightly up in this orientation.