Topographical general map of the eastern edge of Syrtis Major
Topographical general map of the eastern edge of Syrtis Major
The volcanic region of Syrtis Major is one of the most conspicuous areas on Mars – as a large dark area half the size of Europe it is well known to amateur astronomers. ESA's Mars Express spacecraft flew over Syrtis Major on 8 June 2011 during orbit 9487 and photographed a strip roughly 400 kilometres in length using the HRSC stereo camera. The images selected for publication here show the smaller, inner rectangle.