This image from ESA’s Mars Express shows the terrain surrounding Mars’s north pole. It captures the region where vast, rippling sand dunes meet the layers upon layers of dusty ice covering the planet’s pole.
Numerous labels have been placed across the terrain, highlighting features and regions of note. Be sure to 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 14 April 2023. 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. North is to the right. The ground resolution is approximately 21 m/pixel and the image is centred at about 231°E/84°N.
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[Image description: A rectangular slice of tan-coloured terrain shows a number of features on Mars: a rippling swathe of sand dunes to the left; two notable banks cutting down through the middle of the frame; two steep, semi-circular cliffs in the right-most third of the frame; and smooth terrain to the right. There are signs of layered ground throughout the frame, and the steep cliffs cast dark shadows onto the ground below. A handful of these features are marked by labels placed across the frame.]