This stunning new image of Mars, captured by the European Space Agency’s Mars Express probe, shows the boundary between the fragmented Sacra Fossae region and the flat plains of Kasei Valles, which is one of the largest ancient outflow regions on the red planet.

We can only see part of Kasei Valles in this picture – in total it is an enormous channel that spans 3,000 kilometres, running from Echus Chasma in Mars’ southern highlands to Chryse Planitia in the northern lowlands, and once upon a time ferried water between the two regions.

Notable in the picture is an old, worn crater that is 35 kilometres in diameter, which has been eroded by the ancient running water. The flatness of the plains and the crater floor is thought to be caused by volcanic lava flows from the Tharsis volcanoes.

Sacra Fossae, on the other hand, is broken, jumbled and chaotic, not just from water erosion that dissolved sub-surface rocks causing the overhead layers to collapse, but also from tectonic forces that plagued the land long ago. The large chunks of land still intact between the deep gorges have experienced subsidence, compacting the sub-surface layers. As a result this region, which is located at 12 degrees north and 285 degrees east and covers an area 225 x 95 kilometres, is one of the most fascinating yet imaged by Mars Express, which creates three-dimensional images of the terrain using its High Resolution Stereo Camera.

Our latest 132-page Astronomy Now special edition is an extravaganza of astronomy for the year ahead, with a complete 30-page guide to observing the planets, moon, meteor showers, two solar eclipses, and the deep sky in 2010.
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This special publication features the photography of British astro-imager Nik Szymanek and covers a range of photographic methods from basic to advanced. Beautiful pictures of the night sky can be obtained with a simple camera and tripod before tackling more difficult projects, such as guided astrophotography through the telescope and CCD imaging.
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Explore the Universe with these new versions of the award-winning Starry Night Software. Available now from the Astronomy Now Store.
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Astronomy Now is pleased to announce the publication of Exploring Mars. The very best images of Mars taken by orbiting spacecraft and NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers fill up the 98 glossy pages of this special edition!
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This new poster features some of the best pictures from NASA's amazing Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity.
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