This broad field of barchan sand dunes – dunes with crescent shapes – in the Olympia Undae region near Mars’ northern polar cap was imaged by NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter. The image, showing a small segment of the dune field, was taken during summer when the surface was free of frost. The dunes cover an area of some 470,000 square kilometres (181,000 square miles), larger than the U.S. state of California, and surround about a quarter of the northern polar cap. It is the most expansive continuous field of dunes on Mars.
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CaSSIS sends first images from Mars orbit
The Mars Camera, CaSSIS (Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System), on ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter captured its first high-resolution images of the Red Planet last week. Developed by a team at the University of Bern in Switzerland, CaSSIS is providing spectacular views, including the Hebes Chasma region at a resolution of 2.8 metres per pixel.