The spectacular Mars as seen during Mars Express orbit 25,000
The spectacular Mars as seen during Mars Express orbit 25,000
The European Mars Express spacecraft orbits our planetary neighbour Mars once every seven hours. During orbit number 25,000 in October 2023, the HRSC stereo camera captured a particularly impressive image, which covers the cloud-covered highland regions of the southern hemisphere all the way to the northern lowlands. In the centre of the image is the Tharsis region, a bulge measuring over four kilometres in height, on which four of the largest shield volcanoes on Mars tower 12 to 22 kilometres into the sky. The Martian moon Phobos was also captured over the southern highlands during its orbit around Mars and is visible as a small dark dot in the image.