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Take another trip through Mars\u2019s \u2018labyrinth of night\u2019 \u2013 a place unlike any other in the Solar System.<\/p>\n
In October 2023, we featured a fly-over film of this part of Mars using data from ESA\u2019s Mars Express. The same data \u2013 from the orbiter\u2019s High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) \u2013 has now been used to create this image. It\u2019s large and detailed, and we\u2019ve labelled a few key features. Be sure to zoom in, click around and explore deeply to be sure you don\u2019t miss a thing!<\/p>\n
Noctis Labyrinthus is a truly fascinating region. It\u2019s filled with colossal landslides, vast windblown sand dunes, and dramatic intersecting canyons measuring up to 30 km wide and 6 km deep. The area spans around 1190 km in length \u2013 roughly the same as the tip to toe of Italy \u2013 and is found between the volcanic hub of Tharsis and the western edge of Mars\u2019s \u2018Grand Canyon\u2019, Valles Marineris (a location shown more clearly in this associated context map).<\/p>\n
While the original ground level can still be seen at the plateau-tops, large chunks of ground seem to have been haphazardly scooped away. This is due to past volcanism in the nearby region of Tharsis, which caused the crust to arch upwards, thin out, and fall away. There are also signs of hydrated salts and clay minerals in this labyrinth, indicating that water was once present here.<\/p>\n
We have highlighted Mars Express views of Noctis Labyrinthus before in\u00a02007\u00a0and 2016. The orbiter has circled the Red Planet since 2003, imaging Mars\u2019s surface, mapping its minerals, studying its atmosphere, probing beneath its crust, and exploring how various phenomena interact in the martian environment. For more from the mission, see\u00a0ESA’s Mars Express releases.<\/p>\n
Processing notes<\/b>: The mosaic comprises data gathered over eight orbits (0442, 1085, 1944, 1977, 1988, 10497, 14632 and 16684) by ESA\u2019s Mars Express and its HRSC.\u00a0The ground resolution is approx. 12.5 m\/pixel and the image is centred at about 265\u00b0E\/7\u00b0S. North is up. For annotated and additional views of this mosaic, and a downloadable ‘Digital Terrain Model\u2019 of the region, see more resources provided by FU Berlin.<\/p>\n
Download the data used to create this image\u00a0here.<\/p>\n
[Alt-text: The tan-coloured image shows a network of intersecting and irregularly shaped valleys and canyons, filling the frame and extending out of view. A number of features are highlighted, allowing the viewer to zoom and focus in on areas of note.]<\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n