NASA's latest images from the planet Mars. The most beautiful photos of Mars. How to find a "face" on Mars
This year has been a good year for NASA's Martian Surface Robot, which has taken some stunning photos of the Red Planet over the past 12 months.
Since August 2012, the Curiosity rover has been making its way across the Martian surface, gaining new information about the environment. Where are the streams of water? Was there life here? And what happened in Gale Crater and Mount Aeolis? Now that the rover is in the lower mountain, it has captured some spectacular shots of dunes, rocks, and even a meteorite. Here are the most remarkable shots.
Dunes
Grab your 3D glasses and enjoy this 13ft Martian dune! The Namib Dune has become part of the study of active sand dunes (they migrate rapidly every year). The Namib is part of the Bagnold Dunes region, which move one meter a year.
"Like on Earth, downwind, sand dunes have a steep slope called a sliding edge," NASA said in a statement. “Sand grains blow from the windward side, creating mounds, which then, like an avalanche, fall down. Then the process is repeated."
sandy selfie
This is another view of the Bagnold Dune region taken by the rover from the front. It's not just a cool shot. It allows NASA engineers to monitor the state of the device. For example, the first cause for concern was how quickly the wheels of the rover wore out. NASA started driving on nasty ground, which slowed down the wear rate.
bumps
The Martian rock is an interesting thing to study, as it tells a lot of useful information about the geological history of the planet. Here you can see some sandstone outcroppings inside the Murray Geological Block. For some reason, these formations seem to have stopped the erosion.
"The site is located in the lower area of Mount Sharp, where mudstones from the Murray Block (visible in the lower right corner) are exposed adjacent to the overlying Stimson Block," NASA said in a statement. “The exact line of contact between the two blocks is covered with windblown sand. Most of the other parts of the Stimson Block did not show the presence of erosion-resistant nodules."
rocks
This magnificent panorama (including the shadow of the apparatus on the right) shows the Naukluft Plateau at the bottom of Mount Sharp. Curiosity took a series of images on April 4, so that geologists were able to understand the entire region (rock history).
“Since landing, the rover has passed through terrain with aquatic sedimentary rocks (mudstones and siltstones, as well as accumulations in the early stages), some of which contained minerals such as clay, indicating the ancient presence of water,” says NASA. “But on the new plateau, the rover found itself in a completely different geology. The sandstone here represents thick layers of windblown sand, suggesting that these deposits formed in a drier era.”
Ripples and dust
Even the ripples on Mars are different. The largest ripples in the image are 10 feet apart. You won't see this on Earth. Although the small ones still resemble ours. This image was taken in December 2015 at the Bagnold dune field. The images were immediately sent to Earth for publication, but sometimes it takes months to upload to get a better look.
“The footage was taken in the early morning with a camera facing the Sun,” NASA writes. “This mosaic image has been processed to make the ripples more visible. The sand is very dark because of the morning shadows and the inner darkness of the minerals that dominate its composition.”
Autonomous Piu Piu
Bye laz 
Black robot gunfire looks a little intimidating on Earth, it has been used peacefully on Mars. The rover selects targets for laser analysis using a software program. So, if the device is in the right place, it can get to work while scientists try to orient themselves. On the left frame you see the goal before the procedure, and on the right - the result.
“The ChemCam laser spectrometer erases a grid of nine points on a stone selected according to specified criteria. In this case, it was necessary to find a bright exposed stone, and not dark rocks. Within 30 minutes after the Navcam received the image, the laser completed the task on the target area.
rocky beauty
What at first glance looks like a random assortment of Murray Buttes hill rocks actually says a lot about the long history of ancient Mars. While the planet is dominated by wind erosion, the image shows important processes for the past. The craft also found evidence of water erosion in the upper regions of Mount Sharp.
“These are the remains of ancient sandstone created by wind-set sand after the formation of Lower Sharp Mountain. The cross bedding indicates that the sandstone was blown by a migrating dune."
Vision of the future
The picture was taken in late 2016, showing the view from the rover, including where it is heading next. The orange rock is the lower part of Mount Sharp. Above it is a layer of hematite, even higher is clay (hard to see here). The rounded hills are a block of sulfate where Curiosity plans to head. Farther away are the high slopes of the mountain. The rover will be able to see them, but will not drive close.
“The variety of colors hints at the difference in the composition of the mountain. Violet has already been noticed in other rocks in which hematite has been found. This season the winds don't blow much sand and the rocks are relatively free of dust (which can obscure the color)."
alien visits
You can't even imagine how cool it is! A man-made rover surfs an alien planet and stumbles upon an alien object. You see a nickel-iron meteorite about the size of a golf ball. It was called "stone egg". “This is a general class of space rocks that have been found more than once on Earth. But on Mars, we found this for the first time. It was examined using a laser spectrometer."
Path through history
The High Resolution Camera (HiRISE) has obtained the first mapping images of the surface of Mars from a height of 280 km, with a resolution of 25 cm/pixel!
Layered sediments in the Hebe Canyon.
Potholes on the wall of Gus crater. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Geysers of Manhattan. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
The surface of Mars is covered with dry ice. Have you ever played with dry ice (with leather gloves, of course!)? Then you probably noticed that dry ice from a solid state immediately turns into a gaseous state, unlike ordinary ice, which, when heated, turns into water. On Mars, ice domes are made up of dry ice (carbon dioxide). When sunlight hits the ice in the spring, it turns into a gaseous state, which causes surface erosion. Erosion gives rise to bizarre arachnid forms. This image shows eroded channels filled with light-coloured ice that contrasts with the muted red of the surrounding surface. In summer, this ice will dissolve into the atmosphere, leaving only channels that look like ghostly spiders carved into the surface. This type of erosion is typical only for Mars and is not possible under natural conditions on Earth, since the climate of our planet is too warm. Lyricist: Candy Hansen (March 21, 2011) (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Layered mineral deposits at the southern tip of a mid-latitude crater. Light layered deposits are visible in the center of the image; they appear along the edges of the mesas, located on a hill. Similar deposits can be found in many places on Mars, including craters and canyons near the equator. It could be formed as a result of sedimentary processes under the influence of wind and/or water. Dunes or folded formations are visible around the table mountain. The wrinkled structure is the result of differential erosion: when some materials are more easily eroded than others. It is possible that this area was once covered by soft sedimentary deposits, which have now disappeared as a result of erosion. Lyricist: Kelly Kolb (April 15, 2009) (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Underlying rocks protruding from the walls and central hill of the crater. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Solid structures of the salt mountain in the Ganges canyon. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Someone cut out a piece of the planet! (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Sand mounds formed as a result of spring sandstorms at the North Pole. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
A crater with a central slide, 12 kilometers in diameter. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Cerberus Fossae fault system on the surface of Mars. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
The purple dunes of Proctor Crater. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Exposures of light rocks on the walls of a table mountain located in the Land of the Sirens. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Spring changes in the Ithaca area. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Dunes of Russell Crater. Photographs taken at Russell Crater are reviewed many times to track changes in the landscape. This image shows isolated dark formations that were likely caused by repeated dust storms that carried light dust off the surface of the dunes. Narrow channels continue to form on the steep surfaces of the sand dunes. The indentations at the end of the channels may be where blocks of dry ice accumulated before passing into a gaseous state. Lyricist: Ken Herkenhoff (March 9, 2011) (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Chutes on the walls of the crater under the exposed rock. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Areas where a lot of olivine may be found. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Ravines between dunes at the bottom of the Kaiser crater. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Valley Mort. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Sediments at the bottom of the canyon Labyrinth of the night. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Holden crater. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Crater of St. Mary (Santa Maria Crater). The HiRISE spacecraft took a color image of the crater of St. Mary, which shows the Opportunity robocar, which is stuck near the southeastern rim of the crater. Robocar has been collecting data on this relatively new 300-foot-diameter crater to determine what factors may have contributed to its formation. Pay attention to the surrounding blocks and beam formations. Spectral analysis of CRISM reveals the presence of hydrosulfates in this area. The wreckage of the robocar is located 6 kilometers from the rim of the Endeavor Crater, the main materials of which are hydrosulfates and phyllosilicates. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
The central hill of a large, well-preserved crater. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Dunes of Russell Crater. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Layered deposits in the Hebe Canyon. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Eumenides Dorsum yardang area. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Sand movements in the Gusev crater, located near the Columbia Hills. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
The northern ridge of Hellas Planitia, which is possibly rich in olivine. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Seasonal changes in the section of the South Pole, covered with cracks and ruts. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Remains of the south polar caps in spring. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Frozen depressions and ruts on the pole. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Deposits (possibly of volcanic origin) in the Labyrinth of the Night. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Layered outcrops on the wall of a crater located at the North Pole. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Solitary arachnid formation. This formation is the channels carved into the surface, which were formed under the influence of the evaporation of carbon dioxide. The channels are organized radially, widening and deepening as they approach the center. On Earth, such processes do not occur. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Relief of the Athabasca Valley.
Crater cones of the Utopia Plain (Utopia Planitia). The Utopia Planitia is a giant lowland located in the eastern part of the northern hemisphere of Mars, and adjacent to the Great Northern Plain. The craters in this area are of volcanic origin, as evidenced by their shape. Craters are practically not subject to erosion. Cone-shaped mounds or craters like the ones shown in this image are quite common in the northern latitudes of Mars. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Polar sand dunes. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
The interior of Tooting Crater. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Trees on Mars!!! In this photograph, we see something strikingly similar to trees growing among the dunes of Mars. But these "trees" are an optical illusion. These are actually dark deposits on the lee side of the dunes. They appeared due to the evaporation of carbon dioxide, "dry ice". The evaporation process begins at the bottom of the ice formation, as a result of this process, gas vapors escape through the pores to the surface and along the way carry out dark deposits that remain on the surface. This image was taken by the HiRISE spacecraft aboard the NASA Orbiter reconnaissance satellite in April 2008. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Victoria Crater. The photo shows deposits on the crater wall. The bottom of the crater is covered with sand dunes. On the left, the wreckage of NASA's Opportunity robocar is visible. The image was taken by the HiRISE spacecraft aboard the NASA Orbiter reconnaissance satellite in July 2009. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona)
Linear dunes. These streaks are linear sand dunes at the bottom of a crater in the Noachis Terra region. The dark areas are the dunes themselves, and the light areas are the gaps between the dunes. The photo was taken on December 28, 2009 by the HiRISE (High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) astronomical camera aboard the NASA Orbiter reconnaissance satellite. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Mars, which is also called the Red Planet, may surprise you in these photos with its by no means red landscapes. Some of the pictures look like amazingly beautiful paintings by a famous artist. See the most beautiful photos of Mars.
14 PHOTOS
1. Deposit of hematite - iron ore - in the region of the Meridian Plateau. (Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona).
Photos of Mars are so unusual and beautiful that it's hard to believe that these are not paintings. Perhaps the same conclusion was reached by NASA employees who created a web page called "Mars As Art" or "Mars as a work of art." Most of the photos in our gallery are from there - mars.nasa.gov/multimedia/marsasart.
2. This picture was taken from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Due to an optical illusion, dark spots in the photo look like trees. In fact, these are landslides of the Martian dunes caused by the sublimation of carbon dioxide. (Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona). 
3. Chaos Aram - the remains of an eroded impact crater, which is located almost at the very equator of Mars and is covered with a huge amount of iron oxide or ordinary rust. (Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona). 
4. Olympus Mons - a huge volcanic crater - its height exceeds 30 kilometers. This is the highest point in the solar system. (Photo: NASA/Seddon/Wikipedia). 
5. A crater in the area of the Great Northern Plain, on which an ice cover is visible. During the Martian winter, the ice is covered with another layer of dry ice - carbon dioxide in solid form, which sublimates (turns into gas) in the summer. (Photo: ESA/DLR/Freie Universitat Berlin (G. Neukum)). 
6. This photo appears to be the original tattoo, but it's actually an intricate and sinuous pattern created by...dust. On Mars, as on Earth, the wind often blows away the top layers of the soil, exposing the deeper ones. (Photo: ASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona). 
7. Panoramic photo of the eastern rim of Endeavor Crater, taken from a distance of about 30 kilometers. (Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell). 
8. The Hellas Plain (also known as the Hellas Impact Basin). The cracks visible in the photograph are from 1 to 10 meters wide. (Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona). 
9. A swirl of dust on Mars, photographed from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. A similar phenomenon exists on Earth. (Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona). 
10. The southeastern slopes of the volcanic crater Olympus - the highest point in the solar system. (Photo: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin/G. Neukum). 
11. A new impact crater, which was taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on November 19, 2013. (Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona). 14. Photo from the Curiosity rover, taken by him during a mission to Mars. Curiosity is drilling holes in the Martian soil to take samples and samples for testing. (Photo: NASA / REUTERS). New color photo of the surface of the planet Mars in high resolution 2019 with descriptions obtained from NASA's Earth-Space Telescope and NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover.
If you have never seen frosty deserts, then you need to visit the Red Planet. It didn't get its name by chance. pictures of mars from the rover confirm this fact. Space- an amazing place where you can find completely unusual phenomena. So, the reddish color is created by iron oxide, that is, the surface is covered with rust. There are also amazing dust storms that show high-quality photo of Mars from space in high definition. Well, let's not forget that so far this is the first goal in the search for extraterrestrial life. On our site you can see new real photos of the surface of Mars from rovers, satellites and telescopes from space.
High resolution photos of Mars
First picture of Mars
July 20, 1976 was a turning point when the Viking 1 spacecraft managed to get the first photo of the surface of Mars. His main tasks were to create high-resolution frames to analyze the structure and atmospheric composition and look for signs of life.
Arsino Chaos on Mars
On January 4, 2015, the HiRISE camera on the MRO managed to capture a photo of the Red Planet's surface from space. Before you is the territory of Arsino-Chaos, located in the far eastern region of the canyon of the Mariner Valley. The damaged relief may be based on the influence of massive water channels flowing in a northerly direction. The curved landscape is represented by yards. These are areas of rock that have been sandblasted. Between them are transverse sandy ridges - Aeolian. This is a real mystery hidden between dunes and ripples. The point is at 7 degrees S. sh. and 332 degrees E. sh. HiRISE is one of 6 instruments on MRO.
Attack on Mars
Martian Dragonscale
This interesting surface texture is created from the contact of rock with water. Reviewed by MRO. Then the stone collapsed and again came into contact with the surface. Martian rock, which has become clay, is marked in pink. There is still little information about the water itself and its interaction with the stone. And this is not surprising, because scientists have not yet focused on solving such issues. But understanding this will help to understand the past climate situation. The latest analysis suggested that the early environment may not have been as warm and humid as we would have liked. But this is not a problem for the development of Martian life. Therefore, researchers focus on terrestrial life forms that originate in dry and frosty areas. The scale of the map of Mars is 25 cm per pixel.
martian dunes
martian ghosts
martian rocks
martian tattoos
Martian Niagara Falls
Escape from Mars
Surface Martian shapes
A photo of the surface of Mars was taken with the HiRISE camera of the MRO spacecraft, performing a flyby in Martian orbit. Similar gully reliefs appear on many craters in the middle planetary latitudes. For the first time, changes began to be noticed in 2006. Now they find many deposits in ravines. This photo shows new sediment in Gus crater, living in the southern mid-latitudes. The position is brighter in enhanced color shots. The image was mined in the spring, but the stream formed in the winter. It is believed that the activity of ravines awakens in winter and early spring.
Arrival and movement of Martian ice
Blue on the Red Planet
Follow the (bright) stream
Snowy martian dunes
Mars tattoos
Textures in Deuteronilus
On August 7, 2012, Curiosity, a complex 900-kilogram rover equipped with the latest technology, began working on the surface of Mars. In the future, Curiosity may become one of the most successful space missions: the scientific equipment on board is designed to study in detail the geological history of Mars and shed light on the question of life on this still mysterious planet. Despite the fact that the main work of the apparatus will end after 668 Martian days, in total Curiosity is capable of operating for at least 14 years
Typical Martian landscape during the day
Part of the Gale crater mosaic
Track from the Curiosity wheel on the sand of Mars
Sand, dust and stone called Burwash. The image was taken at a distance of 11.5 cm from the stone, the size of the image is 7.6 by 5.7 cm
A sandbank from which Curiosity took soil samples. On the left, we see a raw image of a dune, showing what it looks like on Mars, whose skies are often reddish due to the amount of dust. On the right, the image has been processed to show what the same area would look like on Earth. The size of the rounded stone above the center of the image is about 20 cm
"Blueberry" - small spherical inclusions in the Martian soil. The balls are about 3 mm in size, they contain a large amount of red iron ore, which is formed in the presence of water.
The picture shows the bottom of the apparatus, all six wheels and the tracks left by them. In the foreground are two pairs of black and white HAZCAM navigation cameras.
Curiosity has just climbed Rocknest Dune to take the first soil samples from the Red Planet. The picture was taken on October 3, 2012, on the 57th day of operation of the device
The MAHLI camera looks at the Curiosity wheel.
Morning on Mars
Dark gray Martian rock. The image was taken with a MAHLI camera from a distance of 27 cm. The image area is 16 by 12 cm, and the resolution is 105 microns per pixel. Despite its impressive clarity, scientists have not been able to resolve the granules or crystals that make up the stone.
The "pyramid" on Mars is a rock dubbed Jake Matijevic. The picture was taken on September 21, 2012.
Studying the "Pyramid" at close range. Chemical analysis of the stone showed that it is rich in alkali metals, as well as halogens - chlorine and bromine. Judging by the spectrum, this stone is a mosaic of individual grains of minerals, including pyroxene, feldspar and olivine. In general, the composition of the stone is very atypical for Martian stones.
Color image of the "pyramid" on Mars. The image has been white-balanced to reveal differences in inclusions on the stone.
On the 55th day of stay on Mars. The focus of Curiosity is a sandy deposit called Rocknest, from the slope of which the rover took the first soil samples.
Remains of an ancient stream bed on Mars. The fact that water once flowed in this place is evidenced by many pieces of gravel and stone, which have a smooth rounded shape. In addition, the size of some of these pebbles suggests that they could only be carried by a stream of water. The rock, chipped like a broken pavement, is of sedimentary origin.
Looking back on the path
Evening on Mars. The picture was taken on day 49 of Curiosity.
The Martian rock, named Et-Then by scientists. The picture was taken by the MAHLI (Mars Hand Lens Imager) camera on October 29, 2012, on the 82nd day of Curiosity's stay on the Red Planet. The rock was photographed from a distance of 40 cm, the width of the image is only 25 cm. Et-Zen was found near the left front wheel of the device when Curiosity was preparing to take soil samples at Rocknest
Stones on Mars. Mosaic taken by the MAHLI camera on the 76th day of Curiosity's stay on the Mysterious Planet
